


Green Eggs and Ham Season Three: The Last Serving

by Outrightelm6724



Category: Green Eggs and Ham (Cartoon), Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Hallucinations, Mutant Powers, Possession, Slow Romance, Suspense, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 194,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24414256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Outrightelm6724/pseuds/Outrightelm6724
Summary: While Michellee and E.B. were going on their mother-daughter trip, Sam decided to journey throughout the world with Guy as a way to help his best friend cope with his powers and take his mind off of his nightmares. When a certain feline adversary from Sam's past encountered them, Sam and Guy spiral deeper into the lore of Guy's powers and Sam's past while being chased by the new enemy. Meanwhile, when her daughter was abducted, Michellee had to team up with McWinkle, who knew someone was out to get them as well as Sam and Guy.~.~Goat, Michael, and Jean were given a task to hunt down the most infamous mass murderer known as the Biologist. Throughout their search, a familiar chickeraffe landed into their grasp, causing more havoc and chaos for the animal trio to both protect the chickeraffe and arrest the Biologist while having assistance from a spunky vixen and an adventurous little girl, E.B. Meanwhile, Louis and Gluntz wrestle with the new case on what caused Snerz's escape from prison.(Warning: Blood and violence)
Relationships: Guy Am I/Michellee (Green Eggs and Ham)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 12





	1. Episode One: Who's Going To Save You?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Guys, if you haven't read Season Two from this fanfic, you will immediately be confused. So, please, read Season Two: The Search in the Shadows before you read this. That will be great! Also, if you guys like this story, Kudos is much appreciated and/or comments.

**_Episode One: Who’s Going To Save You?_ **

_ Flashback: Fifty years ago:  _

“Rejoice, death is not the end!” The priest preached boldly on stage over the crowd of thousands of people. 

The young gray-furred boy stood with the rest of the crowd while setting his focus on the priest. The gray storm clouds rolled by above them but the rain hadn’t fallen yet. The boy was wearing his mouth mask that had the symbol engraved on it just like everyone else. 

“We will not conform to what’s outside of our fences! We are created to be formed to be perfect and balanced and under no circumstances...we should not be any different than just mere fur color!” The priest continued with his sermon while holding out the golden book with the treacherous symbol on the cover of it. “The Book of Whispers proclaimed that anyone different, whether by a birth defect or outsider, shall be conformed by the whispers and the family it gathers!” 

As if it’s on cue, a couple of men in lab coats and blue rubber glove brought up a red-furred short teenage kid, who’s wearing a red short hat that had the round tip leaning forward slightly, upon the wooden stage. The kid appeared like he’s been sobbing for the past hour or two. The crowd stared blankly at him with their masks covering their mouths, without fear or sorrow. 

Suddenly, a machine was levered up behind the priest as the doctors strapped the kid on it. One of the doctors put a headpiece around the kid’s head while he whimpered in pain and tears were strolling down his furry cheeks non-stop. 

“This defective has suffered a great disorder that must be wiped clean!” The priest announced with his booming voice louder than the kid’s sobs. “He will become pure and perfect once he’s through with the operation!” 

One of the doctors was given a gesture by the priest to start up the machine. The voltage was set low at first, letting the kid groan in pain. The audience watched him emotionless, taking in what the priest was saying. As the priest continued his preaching, the voltage was raised higher and higher, causing the red-furred kid to scream out in pain. He’s struggling to get out of the machine but he was strapped on it tightly, losing any kind of hope in anyone that he’ll get out of it. 

The kid in the gray fur witnessed this; however, he didn’t do anything about it. He noticed someone whimpering quietly beside him as he turned his head slightly to notice a young blue-furred girl with fluffy cheeks had her tears streaming down on her cheeks. She seemed horrified by the sight and she was the only one in the crowd that wasn’t wearing a mask. 

The gray-furred kid watched her intently, recognizing her. He scooched through the crowd to stand beside her. She glimpsed at him for a moment but then focused back on what’s happening on stage. 

“This must be done,” the gray-furred kid reminded her. 

The girl shook her head while staring at the red-furred kid on stage, suffering. “But...he’s innocent. He had no reason to suffer.”

“He has a disorder. Let’s not forget that,” the gray-furred kid whispered to her. 

She shook her head even more. “He still doesn’t need to suffer, Magnus. Please don’t tell me you’re thinking like the rest? 

Magnus, the gray-furred kid, examined her face to notice something was off. “Where’s your earpiece, Sara? Don’t you have it?” 

Sara, the blue-furred girl, fiddled with the strand of her long blue hair. “I lost it.”

“Where? I can help you find it--”

“No...it’s best if I don’t ever retrieve it.”

“What about your mask? Surely, you couldn’t have lost it--”

“I lost both my earpiece and mask. But it’s best if I don’t retrieve those--.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to.” 

The adults around them heard the conversation with raised brows and stern looks at her. 

“...Earpieces such as these will guide you to the light! Listen to the voices and they will guide you to perfection!” The priest shouted his sermon. “And the masks with this symbol is the symbol of your allegiance to the Gatherers! The Gatherers of the Whispers!” 

As the priest concluded his sermon, the kid screamed louder than both Magnus and Sara could ever hear from anyone. Sara couldn’t watch anymore as she passed through the crowd and headed straight for the plugin for the machine. She pulled the plug and the machine turned off instantly, letting the kid strapped on it to breathe heavily. One of the doctors turned to her with a glare. 

“You, woman!” The doctor barked at her as Sara ran away from the stage. However, there were buff men at the front row of the crowd who snatched her by the small arms. She struggled against their grips but it’s useless to fight against their strength. They carried her up on stage next to the priest and threw her at the priest’s feet. 

“Did the whispers tell you to commit such acts?” the priest asked Sara. 

Sara licked her lips a bit, coming up with a lie. “Yes.” 

“Why would the whispers want you to break its own rule?” 

“She didn’t have her mask and earpiece on!” One of the women screamed from the crowd. The woman was next to Magnus, who had his eyes widened with shock. 

The priest turned to Sara with a sneer. “Where is it, child?”

“I-I lost them.”

“You lost something that you could’ve easily worn all the time?” 

“Yes, sir.” Sara flicked a glance up at the kid strapped onto the machine, staring at her like he needed help. She shifted her gaze back at the priest to notice a butcher knife on his belt. A lightbulb went off in her head. 

“Do you know what else those whispers were telling me?” Sara asked the priest with a hidden smirk. 

“What, child?”

“To do...this!” Sara charged at the priest and grabbed his knife before he could make any reaction. She used her shoulder to shove the priest away from her while obtaining the sharp knife. The two doctors came at her but she cut them in the arms and throats to get them out of her way. The buff men who took her on stage, came after her until she was able to stab them in the chest, leaving them wounded and unable to get up. 

The audience gasped in horror while Sara quickly cut the leather straps holding the red-furred kid down to let him go free. The kid seemed confused by her actions.

“Go!” Sara screamed her demand as the kid bolted out of the city without any hesitation. Before Sara could go with him, a sharp needle jabbed at her shoulder blade from behind. She doesn’t know what it was but she slowly lost consciousness and darkness surrounded her. 

~.~ 

_ Present: Fifty years later _

_ “Is he still sleeping?”  _

_ “I’ve knocked twice...he should at least wake up to that.”  _

_ “Either that or he’s a heavy sleeper.” _

_ “Well, in that case--” _

A loud abrupt knock came from the front door, instantly waking the orange-furred man, Guy, up from his afternoon nap on the couch in the living room. He yelped in surprise while almost falling off the couch. 

_ “Yep...definitely heavy sleeper,”  _ Guy heard a familiar voice speaking from outside. He breathed in and out heavily from a nightmare that ended too suddenly. He rubbed his hands against his head to calm himself down. When he glanced at the time, he noticed that it’s noon. 

“What?! I slept in!” Guy gasped while hearing snickering from outside the door. He immediately bolted to the front door and swung open to reveal that Goat and Michael, the fox, were the only ones to show up at his porch in Glurfsburg. Goat had a pile of plastic cups strapped onto his head and balanced like a pyramid while Michael had his arms held out for holding plates in his arms. 

Guy sighed heavily at Goat, assuming he’s the one who made an abrupt knock. “Could you have knocked softer?” 

“I have knocked softer...twice,” Goat responded simply. 

Michael nodded his head in confirmation. “Yeah, I saw that.” 

“Did you just sleep in?” Goat asked with a raised brow. 

Guy groaned irritably, mostly to himself. “Yeah, I got to go meet Sam at the diner in fifteen minutes. And the party will start in an hour-”

“Relax, man, we’ll get this set-up before you get back,” Michael soothed with a small smile.

“Where can we set this stuff down, compadre?” Goat questioned while looking around inside of the house. 

“In the kitchen,” Guy answered and stepped aside so that Michael and Goat can walk in. Michael and Goat strolled in and found a kitchen. While Michael set the plates down gently on the counter, Goat unstrapped his plastic cup pyramid hat and slowly took it off to not ruin the pyramid. The pyramid stood perfectly. Guy leaned against the doorway to watch both the animals stare at the plastic cup pyramid. 

“Yes, it’s perfectly balanced. As all things should be,” Goat replied while dramatically gesturing the plastic cup pyramid. 

“Dang, that actually looks pretty cool,” Michael complimented with fascination.

Goat bowed with a smirk. “Thank you.” 

The fox let out a giggle at Goat’s goofiness, causing Goat to smile warmly. 

Guy rolled his eyes at the two of them and used his mind-bending skills to destroy the pyramid and stacked the cups up into two piles. 

Goat gave a deadpan stare at Guy. “You’re no fun.” 

Guy sighed again while looking at the clock. He clenched his teeth in realization while running out of the house. “I’m going to be late. Don’t break any vases!” 

“Don’t worry, we won’t!” Michael shouted as Guy rushed to the door. 

Goat glanced back at the fox with a mischievous smirk. “Come on, zorro. We got vases to break.”

“But Guy just said--”

Goat whispered, “I was just giving Guy a hard time.” 

Guy rolled his eyes at Goat’s joke and headed out of the house, leaving both the goat and the fox behind in the house. 

While Goat and Michael were setting up for this party, Guy began to run through the streets of Glurfsburg. Luckily for him, the diner was nearby. He didn’t barge through the crowd and only said ‘Excuse me’ and ‘Pardon me’, which seemed abnormal for a grumpy personality like him to do. Guy hoped that Sam wasn’t there already and had been waiting for him for more than ten minutes. Otherwise, he probably left if he got bored. Or just text him. 

Guy pulled out his small phone from his fur pocket to see if Sam was texting him. There was no text from Sam, which gave him a sigh of relief. Believe it or not, Michellee did buy both him and Sam new phones, so in case either of them was far apart like they were last time, they would be able to contact each other. It’s also for emergencies. 

Meanwhile, more people came over to Guy’s house. The first person, other than Goat and Michael, who came over was Gluntz. She had a green cake with the decorations of Green Eggs and Ham on top while smiling from ear to ear. 

“Is this it?” Gluntz asked excitedly. “Is this the right house?” 

“No, wrong house,” Goat joked around with a smirk. “It’s the house next door.”

Of course, Gluntz didn’t think Goat was joking and looked at the house next door. 

Michael chuckled a bit. “Don’t worry. You’re at the right house. Come on in.” 

Gluntz perked her head up and had her smile back on her face. 

“You should’ve waited until she went next door, zorro,” Goat whispered jokingly.

“Nah, man, that’s cruel,” Michael whispered back with a small smile. 

Gluntz set the cake on the counter. “This is going to be the best party ever!” 

“Right?!” Michael yelped with adventure in his tone. “I wonder if he ever had a birthday party before.” 

“We’ll have to see.” Louis walked in suddenly from the backdoor on their conversation while carrying store-bought cupcakes with green frosting, causing everyone to jump.

“Lou! What the heck?!” Goat immediately replied with his brow twitching. 

“What?” Louis responded with a raised brow. 

“Don’t you know that there’s a front door, amigo?” Goat pointed at the front door where Gluntz entered the house from. 

Louis rolled his eyes at Goat. “I just came from the backyard. Come on, let’s set this thing up before Guy gets back with Sam.” 

~.~ 

Guy hurried to Donna’s Diner, where he saw Sam waiting inside through the window. Sam noticed Guy walking up to the door with a full bright smile on his face. He waved like a child while moving from his seat to approach Guy. Guy entered the diner, receiving a full hug from Sam. 

“There’s my SB!” Sam shouted joyously, smiling from ear to ear.

Guy smiled a bit. “SB?”

“Super-Buddy. I saved a spot just for us!” 

“Lovely.” 

Both Sam and Guy sat by the window while waiting to order food. 

“How’s the job?” Guy ignited the conversation with Sam. 

Sam grinned genuinely. “It’s pretty nice. Once in a while, I get mean customers but hey, at least I get to keep the wrong order food.” 

Guy stifled a giggle at his friend’s positive outlook. “Yeah...should’ve saved some for me.” 

“I would’ve if I known--”

“I’m just teasing, Sam.”

Both the men laughed at each other’s jokes. They heard a buzzing noise as Guy checked on his phone. He smiled and sighed in relief. 

“What?” Sam asked, losing his smile. 

“Oh, Michellee said that she just picked E.B. from school,” Guy responded but only half was true. It was Michellee texting him but she didn’t let him know about picking E.B up from school. Instead, the text read:  _ We’re almost home!  _

Sam glanced across from him and noticed Guy’s hand trembling a bit. Guy noticed this too and gripped around it tightly. 

Sam raised his brow. “Why is your hand trembling?”

“Huh?” 

“Your hand. It’s been doing that lately. Why?”

Guy looked at his hand. “I don’t know.” 

Sam shrugged it off. “Well, alright, um...how’s your job?” 

“Still trying to get into the inventing thing. In the meantime, I’m just paint-watching,” Guy responded with a small smile. 

“Hey, now with these new super-powers, you could build anything you want without it exploding!” Sam responded with an excited shout.

Guy shushed Sam. “Keep it down, Sam. No need to go public about this.”

“Why not?” 

“You know how people are...they could--well--um--”

“What?” 

“Nevermind,” Guy answered softly while staring out of the window, deep in his own thoughts. He could tell Sam became more concerned for him and he wouldn’t blame him. He had told himself lately that he’s fine but the truth was...he had been having nightmares. It wasn’t just nightmares that would go away the next night or even in the next morning. It’s constant...always there and always near. Not only his nightmares were constant, they were also vivid. He could remember every detail within it. Some were flashbacks of when he had to fight Jeckles in that heated battle out in the ocean. But there were some that he...he couldn’t explain to his friends and family. Something that he couldn’t just pinpoint. And that concerned him as well. 

~.~ 

Michellee and E.B entered the house, looking around at the decorations and more people participating. Jean, Cosette, and Fawn were helping with the ceiling decorations. McWinkle brought the big boxes that were wrapped tightly in wrapping paper with bows on top. Karen and Robert, Guy’s parents, had more desserts set on the table while Jeffrey, Dave, Stanley, and Todd helped the other kids with the decorations. 

Michael noticed Michellee and E.B and squeezed himself through the crowd. “We’re almost done!” 

“Great!” Michellee exclaimed happily while walking through the house to examine the decorations. 

“I call look-out!” E.B volunteered while sprinting upstairs to her room. 

“Be careful, E.B!” Michellee cautioned her daughter. 

“I will!” E.B managed to get through her bedroom window and used the monkey bars that were set from the window to the new treehouse built for her to swing across. She got onto the floorboards that hid her perfectly well due to the thick leaves covering the area she’s walking around in. She got out her own binoculars while picking up a small walkie-talkie from the ground. 

“Viper One, this is Bean-Counter 1. I’m in a position. What’s your status?” E.B talked into the walkie-talkie. 

“Is that you,  niña ?” E.B could hear Goat’s voice from the other walkie-talkie.

“Yep. What’s your status?” 

“We’re done setting up. Your Mom just texted Guy...if he’s around the block with Sam, get in the house immediately and let us know.”

“Roger that, Viper One--”

“Just stick with the original names,  niña,” Goat responded with a chuckle while hanging up. 

E.B giggled and stayed on the look-out for Sam and Guy.

~.~ 

Guy and Sam were chattering about day to day business with a few chuckles and giggles while eating their ordered Green Eggs and Ham. Guy swallowed his food while Sam patted his round belly. 

“Well, I’m full,” Sam responded with a small satisfied smile. 

“Really? Only one plate of Green Eggs and Ham?”

“I have left-overs at home from some deliveries.” 

“Oh, right.” Guy nodded his head in understanding. His phone buzzed as he took it out with his eyes widened. He smiled mischievously, causing Sam to raise his brow at Guy. 

“Is something going on, Guy?” Sam asked. 

Guy’s mischievous smile faded quickly while shrugging it off. “Oh, it’s nothing. Uh, hey, are you free later?”

“Later?”

“Do you still have to make more deliveries?”

“No, I think I’m done for the day,” Sam answered while smiling a bit. “You want me to come over?!” 

“Yeah, of course! You can come over any time you like. You know that right?” 

“Yeah. Hehe,” Sam responded a bit with a nervous chuckle. “Maybe we can save some of the leftovers for E.B and Michellee.”

“I--I’m sure they don’t need it,” Guy reassured Sam with a plastered grin. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure,” Guy replied while nodding his head. He scooched himself out of his seat with Sam following him. 

“Let’s go, SB,” Sam urged playfully, stifling a laugh from Guy. 

“Alright.” 

~.~ 

As Sam and Guy roamed through the streets and on their way to Guy’s house, Guy was rubbing his arm a bit nervously.

“Sam, can I ask you something personal?” Guy asked Sam, almost a bit afraid of asking but he knew he had to.

Sam beamed a bit. “Of course, buddy! You can ask me anything you want.” 

“Have you ever had a birthday party before? I mean, as far as you can remember?” 

Sam froze from that question in the middle of the sidewalk, causing Guy to turn around and stop ahead of his friend. When Guy tried to read his friend’s mind, all he saw was Sam trying to remember as best as he could to remember having a birthday party. However, he couldn’t come up with any. 

“Not really...I don’t know when my birthday is...until I was Gluntz’s house temporarily,” Sam responded, solemn in his voice. 

Guy pondered something to say to his friends while guiding his sad friend through the sidewalk. 

“Why do you ask?” Sam asked with a raised brow. 

“Oh, I was just curious,” Guy responded quickly. 

Meanwhile, E.B noticed Guy and Sam a block away and sped back to the house. She quickly hopped through her bedroom window and rushed downstairs. 

“Guys! Guy and Sam are almost here!” E.B shouted excitedly. 

Michellee shut off the lights. “Hide!” 

Everyone went into their hiding place while waiting for Sam and Guy to come through the door.

The door swung open, revealing to be Sam and Guy. 

“Boy, it sure is dark in here,” Sam uttered meekly while Guy smirked. 

Guy flipped on the lights. 

Everyone jumped out of their hiding places. “SURPRISE!!!” 

Sam jumped back with a screech and then smiled brightly with a laugh. “Wait! What is this?!” 

“Happy Birthday, Sam!” E.B responded with a bright grin. 

Sam’s heart instantly melted while smiling non-stop and tears leaking out of his eyes. “Oh, guys--!” 

Michael immediately became concerned for Sam. “Uh...we-uh-we--”

Goat leaned over to whisper to Michael. “I think he’s having tears of joy.”

“How does everyone know that today was my birthday?” Sam asked out of curiosity while continuing to wipe his tears away.

Gluntz softly smiled. “I had your file. I basically shared it with everyone so that we could prepare this for you.” 

Sam glanced back at Guy, who softly smiled at his friend. “Is that you asked if I ever have a birthday party?”

Guy nodded his head. “Yep. We want to give you something that you might never have before. It might not be the same as having blood-related family members celebrating your birthdays but we hope that this is enough.”

“It’s more than enough,” Sam sobbed happily while he zoomed over to Guy and hugged him. “This is the best surprise ever! Thank you.” 

Guy embraced Sam back tightly. “No problem. Happy Birthday, Sam.” 

Sam smiled while letting go of his friend. He went around the room happily, hugging everyone while thanking them for this nice surprise. 

Michael grinned ecstatically. “What are we standing around here for? Let’s get this party started!” 

“Yeah!” Everyone yelled out their cheer as the upbeat party music turned on. 

Unbeknownst to everyone in the house, a shadow was watching them from the darkness of the alleyway. 

~.~ 

The party had been going on for five hours. The desserts and food were almost devoured and evening arrived early. Guy walked his family outside to bid them goodbye since they had to go back to Stovepipe Junction pretty soon. Of course, it’s fun for them to be there with Sam and everyone else. The remaining people still lived in Glurfsburg, so they decided to stay for a couple more hours. When Guy walked back into his house, he realized that it’s a mess but he didn’t mind cleaning up. He used his mind force powers to take down the decorations since it’s coming to an end. He noticed Sam, Michellee, Gluntz, E.B, McWinkle, Goat, Michael, Jean, Cosette, Fawn, and Louis sitting in the living room while playing charades. 

Michellee noticed Guy cleaning up the house. “Here, let me help you, honey--.” 

Guy smiled at his lover softly. “I got it. You guys keep playing.” 

While Guy was cleaning up the mess with his powers, Goat stood there in front of the group while trying to look mean and aggressive. He used his hoof gestures to pretend to throw things while hitting his chest like a gorilla. 

“Uh...a gorilla?” Jean guessed from standing on Michael’s shoulder.

Goat shook his head, knowing that he had to stay silent in order to play the game of charades. 

“Gorilla? Gorilla? Gorilla?” Michael muttered the name itself while gasping dramatically like an answer finally connected. “Wait---HARAMBE!!!” 

Goat gave Michael a deadpan stare, flicking his ears a bit. He shook his head while trying to ponder a way to communicate his group of what he’s trying to impersonate something he had been trying to impersonate. He began circling his hooves around the sides to his head while rolling his eyes like a complete maniac. 

“Jeckles?” Sam asked with a raised brow. 

Goat stopped what he was doing while extending his hoof out for the group to build on that answer. 

“Uh, unredeemable monster!” Louis shouted at the top of his lungs. 

“Psychopath!” McWinkle barked while leaning forward from his seat. 

“I thought he’s a Sociopath,” Michael responded to McWinkle’s guess. 

“Probably both,” McWinkle replied with a shrug. 

Michellee noticed the timer going off. “Guys! Times up!” 

Goat sighed deeply. “Super-villain, guys.” 

“Wait, it’s a super-villain?” Michael questioned Goat’s impersonations. “Why in the world are you trying to impersonate Harambe as a supervillain?!”

“Who’s Harambe?” E.B asked her mother innocently. 

Michellee smiled a bit. “We’ll talk about it later.”

“I was trying to impersonate a raging maniac,” Goat responded to Michael’s question. “I did not know how you mistook that as Harambe.” 

“Well, ladies, let’s show these boys how we can win!” Gluntz teased the guys while striding up in front of them. 

“Give your best shot, agent,” Louis responded with a smirk. 

Michellee gave the timer set to Louis while he started it at one minute. 

“Go!” Louis signaled Gluntz.

Gluntz spread her hands out like she’s making rainbows. 

“Rainbows!” E.B guessed quickly, earning a nod from Gluntz. 

Gluntz began to sway her hand left and right like she’s holding a paintbrush, painting a canvas. 

“Painting!” Michellee shouted the answer, earning another nod. 

“Let’s go!” Fawn cheered with determination, standing next to her mom. Both the mice were standing on top of Michellee’s head.

Gluntz marched in front of the ladies while waving a pretend flag around. 

“Revolution!” Cosette yelled out her answer, gaining a nod from Gluntz. 

The guys stared at the women with complete shock and confusion on their faces. 

Eventually, the timer ran out. 

“Time’s up!” Louis informed the ladies loudly. 

Gluntz sighed in relief and sat by the women while the women were cheering for her. 

“Ha! We’re smarter than those guys!” E.B. laughed. 

Goat smirked playfully at E.B. “I heard that, niña! Let’s go boys!” 

Michael glanced at Sam. “It’s your turn, Sam.”

“Alrighty!” Sam responded while beaming excitedly. He ran up from the group as Michellee was the one who started the timer. 

“Go!” Michellee pointed for Sam to go. 

Meanwhile, Guy was done cleaning and just watched his family with a huge warm smile on his face. He decided to not join in with the charades since for one, he could easily read minds and two, if he knew an answer, he would be tempted to say it...even before anyone could do the gesture. Since Guy had a competitive nature, he decided that it’s best if he stayed out of charades so that everyone else could play. Instead, he just stared at them. 

**_At that moment, everything turned out right for Guy. He finally had everything he wanted. Everything that anyone could ever ask for. Family and friends who supported him and stuck with him through the thick of the mud. In his mindset...there’s nothing that was missing. Unless..._ **

A sudden chill of wind blew on Guy’s back. He shivered but something was off. He just knew something was off. 

_ “Guy.”  _

Guy turned his head to look outside and noticed the storm clouds hovering in the skies. He raised his brow, knowing that there wasn’t supposed to be a storm. He warily walked through the kitchen and into the small backyard. He heard the thunder booming from the sky but there’s no rain coming down. He saw the dark clouds were roaming from one direction, moving his gaze over to the opposite direction from the movements of the clouds. From ahead, he saw something lurking. The lightning flashed across the skies, revealing a familiar cold-air balloon. 

Guy widened his eyes while his hand trembled violently. He gripped his wrist tightly to try to prevent his hand from trembling but it wouldn’t stop. Eventually, Guy was too focused on the cold-air balloon that he let go of his trembling hand. His body was frozen in position. His shaky hand extended out towards the cold-air balloon, his breathing becoming louder. 

“Compadre!” 

Guy immediately was snapped out of his trance and grabbed his hand, which was no longer trembling. He whipped his glance over at Goat, who stood there with a puzzled look on his face. 

“Uh...hey,” Guy responded, nervously. 

“I called you twice...are you okay?” Goat asked, now a bit concern. 

Guy switched his glance back over and saw that there were no clouds looming above him nor the cold air balloon floating within the skies. All of it was just a...hallucination. 

Guy shifted his focus back to Goat. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” 

“Okay...I just came to check up on you.” 

“Thank you.” Guy glanced back into the horizon, not aware of Goat just standing there still. 

“Come inside if you’re ready,” Goat uttered while walking away. 

“Okay.” 

Goat went back inside of the house but Guy stood still, frozen in position. He stared longer out into the city. Taking a deep breath in, he decided what he’s going to do next. Guy exited out of his backyard through the wooden gate and went about his way into the city in the dark of the night. 

~.~ 

Sam noticed one person missing in the living room. He glanced around him while Goat sat back down on the couch. 

“Is Guy okay?” Sam asked Goat, figuring he went to the backyard to check on Guy. 

“According to Guy himself, he’s okay,” Goat reassured Sam with a smile. Although, that smile quickly faded. Something was bothering him. He turned to Michellee. “Hey, Michellee, how often does Guy’s hand tremble?” 

“What?” Michellee questioned Goat, raising her brow. 

“I noticed Guy’s hand tremble...sometimes when I walked by him, I see his hand trembling...even it’s slightly. Have you noticed that or--?”

“I noticed it this morning at the diner,” Sam spoke up, his eyes widening a bit. “Did something happen to his hand?”

“Guy’s hand is trembling?” Louis stepped into the conversation. 

“Yeah, it’s been trembling for who knows how long...it’s--I don’t know--I would be the last person to say that it’s becoming bothersome,” Goat responded with a shrug. 

“Maybe it’s from the powers,” Gluntz theorized.

“Fair point. But...I just witnessed something weird while I was checking up on Guy...he’s just staring off...his hand shook more violently than I’ve ever seen. I called his name twice before he finally snapped out what he was seeing,” Goat pointed out. “Do you think it’s from those powers too?”

“Maybe,” McWinkle uttered while rubbing his chin to think. 

“Do they explain the nightmares?” Michellee added into the conversation. 

“Nightmares?” Everyone questioned simultaneously. 

“Yeah...it’s almost like every night that he has them,” Michellee answered to the group. 

“I know how that feels,” Goat uttered sadly while gazing down at the ground. 

Sam’s heart began to race. “I’m starting to worry about him.”

“He’ll be fine, Sam,” McWinkle reassured while patting Sam on the shoulder.

Jean scratched the back of his head and crawled down from the fox’s shoulder and climbed up to Michellee’s head to sit with his wife and daughter. 

Michael stood up from his seat on the couch. “I’ll go check on him. Maybe get him to talk to me. Hopefully.”

“Cool, he’s outside...out back,” Goat informed the fox. 

“Alright,” Louis responded to Michael’s statement as Michael headed outside. 

Sam watched Michael entering the backyard with eyes widened. 

“Um, Goat! You said he’s in the backyard, right?!” 

“Uh, yeah! Why?!” Goat asked the fox. 

“Um...he’s not there!” Michael responded loudly as he entered back in the house. 

Gluntz had her brow raised. “Is he going for a midnight stroll or what?” 

“Maybe,” Michellee uttered nervously. 

~.~ 

Meanwhile, Guy took a stroll throughout the city, which was only a couple of blocks away from his house. The air was chilly, causing Guy to shiver. He did regret leaving without informing his family about what’s going and going on a stroll without his scarf. But that was the least of his worries though. He couldn’t get that vision off of his mind. Goat must have thought he was crazy...he probably was. As the wind picked up, Guy rubbed his hands against his arms tightly, not realizing how freezing it was going to be. 

Out of the corner of his eyes, Guy immediately took notice of a sprinkle of blood in front of him. He froze suddenly, feeling his stomach doing flips. Was someone murdered here? Guy began to investigate it by following the trail of blood carefully. He peeked around the corner to stare into the dark alleyway. He continued to follow the blood until his vision glitched. Startled by the sudden glitch, Guy realized that the trail of blood disappeared. He shifted his gaze up to notice a wooden fence with a few papers pinned against it. 

Guy groaned irritably to himself, realizing that he’s hallucinating again. What’s happening to him? As soon as he turned around, a sudden force pinned him against the wall. He realized soon enough that it was a person, who had their hand wrapped tightly around Guy’s throat and another hand gripped tightly on his shaky wrist. Guy stared at the hooded shadow glaring at him. He tried kicking the shadow away from him but his foot went through the stomach of the shadow. He tried to use his powers to push the shadow away from him but there’s something that was stopping him from doing so. Something burning inside of him. 

Guy looked into the hood of the shadow but all he saw was darkness. His breathing became heavy while he heard a chuckle. 

“You looked frightened, Guy,” The shadow growled a bit. 

“What do you want from me?” Guy snarled, becoming suffocated by the shadow’s grip. 

Suddenly, his vision changed from the peaceful Glurfsburg to complete destruction of the city. The sky was blood red while the ground underneath his feet was ashes. There were bones and skeletons everywhere with the remaining fire burning the last piece of destroyed buildings. While noticing all these things, Guy could feel his body burning from something engraved on his body. He had no idea what it was but it’s causing him to groan in immense pain. 

“Look around you. We’re near the end,” The shadow responded while clutching Guy’s throat and wrist tighter. 

Guy clenched his teeth in pain. “I stopped it...I stopped it before! Jeckles...he’s---”

“He’s dead.” 

Guy’s body began to tremble, stifling a laugh from the shadow. His hand that had been trembling, shook violently against the wall. 

“Have you heard of a Hydra?” 

Guy couldn’t respond from being suffocated, glaring back at the shadow. 

“If you chop one head off, two more will grow in its place. Doesn’t that fascinate you?” 

Guy attempted to kick the shadow away from him one more time but his foot went through the shadow’s stomach again. He whimpered in pain while his body felt like it’s on fire. 

“No? Not even the slightest?”

Guy lost his glare at the assassin, squeezing his eyes tightly to bear the pain. 

“Well, Jeckles was the head until one of you chopped it off...now, two more heads will grow in his place,” The shadow growled while the vision of the destroyed city disappeared from Guy’s sight. But the shadow was still holding onto Guy while he still felt the burn in his body. 

_ “Please, make it stop...make it stop.” _ Guy heard his own thoughts, whimpering in pain still. 

“What’s...going...to happen?” Guy asked the shadow, barely lifting his eyelids to look back at the shadow. 

“Many people will die, Guy. What you just saw...that’s what is going to happen to everyone around you. And you won’t be able to stop it.”

“N-No, you’re wrong...I was able to stop Jeckles once...I could do it again,” Guy growled, tears edging out of his eyes from being in immense pain. 

The shadow laughed at Guy’s determination. “You can save everyone in the world. But the question is...who’s going to save you?” 

“Save me? F-From what?” 

“From Yourself.” 

Suddenly, Guy felt like he’s being electrocuted. His face suddenly was burning up with some marks on that he didn’t know what it was. He screamed out in pain while the shadow disappeared without a trace. Guy’s legs wobbled and collapsed on the concrete ground. Everything went black around him. 

_ “Guy!”  _ Guy heard familiar shouting voices.  _ “Guy!”  _

_ “Oh my gosh! Is he okay?!”  _ Michael’s voice peered from the darkness. 

_ “Just help me carry him! Come on!”  _ Goat’s determined voice echoed from the void. 

Guy couldn’t hear the voices further. 

~.~ 

Michellee opened the door to notice Michael and Goat carrying passed out Guy. 

“Guy!” Michellee gasped while Michael and Goat quickly took Guy in. 

McWinkle had his eyes widened. “What happened to him?”

“I don’t know,” Michael answered urgently. “He screamed and we just bolted towards him.” 

“And then he passed out,” Goat explained while looking around for a place to set him. “Where do we put him?” 

E.B watched with sadness in her eyes at passed out Guy. 

“Over there,” Michellee pointed at the bedroom down the hallway and to the left. Goat and Michael carried Guy into it and placed him onto the bed. Michellee followed them while staring at Guy with deep concern.

Goat noticed Michellee’s worried look. “He’ll be okay.”

“I know...I just--” Michellee sighed while sitting beside her lover. “Nevermind.” 

Goat frowned while he exited out of the bedroom with Michael following behind him. 

Michellee sighed and laid herself next to Guy. She clutched him tightly, hoping that her touch would comfort him while he’s sleeping.

Meanwhile, Sam anxiously waited with E.B, Louis, Gluntz, McWinkle, and the mice family. Goat and Michael entered the living room. 

“He’s sleeping,” Michael uttered, rubbing his arm sadly. 

Goat put his hoof on Michael’s shoulder. “He’ll be okay...maybe he’s in shock from something...although, we wouldn’t know what it is.” 

McWinkle leaned forward a bit. “What do you think it is?”

“A hallucination...or something like that,” Goat responded with a shrug. “Whatever he saw, it’s gone.” 

“Well, that’s a new case to crack,” Gluntz implemented with a sigh. “Speaking of cases, we-um-got to get to bed early if we have to work.”

McWinkle smiled lightly. “That’s right. You guys are working at the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S precinct?” 

“Yeah, we’re close to solving this case tomorrow,” Goat indicated while removing his hoof from Michael’s shoulder. 

“Really? You guys work fast,” Gluntz responded with her hands on her hips and a grin. 

Michael smirked with a cocky tone. “Yeah, we’re the cool group.”

“More like a trio,” Jean added his input while he and his family scurried off the couch. “Fawn is pretty tired so...I’ll see both of you in the morning.”

“Sounds good, amigo,” Goat responded with a nod in understanding. 

Sam smiled at his group of friends. “Hey, thank you all for this birthday party! It’s been amazing.” 

“Of course!” E.B chirped happily. 

“Aw, no problem!” Gluntz replied while hugging Sam, which he happily hugged her back. 

Louis nodded his head. “Yeah, it’s a meaningful day for you. We got to make it special.” 

“Of course, man. We could celebrate every year if you like,” Michael offered. “I mean, it wouldn’t be as big as this but--”

“Every year?” Sam inquired, his eyes sparkling. 

“Yeah, people celebrate their own birthdays every year,” Goat informed with a small smile. 

“I would love that,” Sam uttered with a huge childish grin. 

“Then, we’ll make that official,” McWinkle determined with a small smirk. 

Everyone cheered quietly while Sam and E.B watched the rest of the group began to head out the door. While bidding their goodnights, E.B noticed Sam staying in the house until everyone was gone. 

E.B raised her brow. “Are you going home, Sam?”

“I want to spend the night. In case, Guy needed a midnight buddy to talk to,” Sam answered, still concerned for his friend. 

“Okay. You can sleep in my bedroom and--”

“Nah, I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, it’s your bedroom, E.B. You get to sleep in it.”

“I mean, you’re the birthday boy--”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll sleep on the couch. It’s more likely Guy would come in here if something was going to happen.”

E.B nodded her head in understanding. “Right. Well, goodnight, Sam.” 

“Goodnight, E.B.”

E.B went upstairs into her bedroom while Sam plopped back on the couch. He smiled to himself, knowing that he had a fun birthday party. The only thing that went wrong was the fact that his best friend got hurt. Guy didn’t ruin the party at all. Sam just wished that he would know what’s going through his best friend’s mind. He switched on the television and had the volume low so that it wouldn’t be so abrupt throughout the house. 

Sam gazed into the screen, noticing an ad about taking adventures. 

“Tired of sitting on the couch? Bored out of your mind? Why not take a train tour around the world?!” The TV announcer boomed his voice from the television screen. “You could explore the world’s greatest landscape and visit the world’s most significant places! It could get your mind off of all those videogames and  **_nightmares_ ** !” 

Sam was drawn into it. His brow furrowing while leaning closer to the television screen. 

“Come journey with us with the Greatest Ride of the Lifetime!” The announcer on television introduced while showing off the dates and times. 

_**Sam sat there on the couch, completely fascinated by the idea of it. The more he thought about it, the more he missed the adventure. He knew that E.B and Michellee were going on their mother-daughter trip together. Sam began to ponder and took the quotes from the television announcer--the trip could take your mind off of nightmares. Michellee mentioned earlier that Guy had been having nightmares...maybe...just maybe...this trip could help Guy with his nightmares. Maybe...it could help Guy take his mind off of whatever nightmare’s he’s been having. An idea slowly formed in Sam’s brain.** _

_**To Be Continued...** _


	2. Episode Two: Blast from the Past

**_Episode Two: Blast from the Past_ **

_ Flashback--Five years ago: _

Everything was quiet. Maybe too quiet in the desert called Gambia until an alarm bell rang. There’s a lone building standing in isolation within the desert. A short ‘woman’ wearing glasses, purple furry beanie, and purple dress sprinted through the empty parking lot to reach her motorcycle. The nametag attached to ‘her’ chest was shown as Dr. Linda Schwartz. Although, the name itself wasn’t the real name of the suspect carrying the box. As soon as ‘she’ hopped onto the motorcycle, the engine started while the suspect noticed that people in lab-coats were running after her.

“Catch you later, boys,” Dr. Linda Schwartz teased while batting her eyelashes and drove off, leaving dust in the air. 

“Call the police! Now!!” One of the men in labcoats shouted his command at his workers. 

Meanwhile, the suspect on a motorcycle zoomed through the desert, knowing that no one’s out there with her. Unless...

Squeaky honking noises sounded from behind while a white weirdly looking motorcycle with red stripes on the side drove beside the motorcycle rider. 

“My, my, you look smashingly beautiful today!” She glanced over to notice the tall black cat with a tall red hat with white stripes. He had white fur from his muzzle towards his stomach with a cheesy grin. 

“Cat!” ‘She’ lost her womanly voice, her manly voice revealing to be Sam’s. 

Cat plastered a surprised look on his face. “Sammy I Ammy! Who would’ve thunk that it was you?! Could’ve fooled me if you keep up the act!” 

Of course, Sam gave an irritable look to Cat, knowing that Cat wasn’t shocked at all. In fact, Cat added a sarcastic tone when he said that to Sam. 

“What do you want?!” Sam groaned a bit loudly while hearing the sirens blaring behind them. 

Cat eyed on the box sitting behind Sam while taking his hat off and placed it behind him by its side where he reached his white-gloved hand in it. “Can I have your box?!” 

“If you want the box, you’re going to have to get it!” 

“Hmmm, I’m afraid that it’s a little too late to say that,” Cat responded while pulling the same box Sam had behind him out of his hat. Sam quickly glanced behind him to notice that the box just disappeared without a trace. Cat smirked and put his hat back on. “I guess you’re the one that’s going to have to get it!” 

Cat cackled maniacally while driving off through the upcoming canyon. Sam growled while chasing after the white motorcycle in his lady costume. 

However, Sam noticed that both he and Cat were being chased by the cops. He shifted his gaze ahead of him to see that Cat made a sharp turn right, following after him. The path they were on led through the rocky mountain that awaited the Truffala Tree forest on the other side. Sam saw a lot of advantages he could do within the forest. 

Cat knew where he had to deliver this box to while turning his head to see if Sam was behind him...but it turned out that he disappeared. This raised a question for the Cat in the Hat but the question immediately subsided when Sam rode his motorcycle from the side and used a rock as a ramp to hop over Cat’s vehicle. Sam quickly grabbed the box from the bottom of his motorcycle while winking at Cat teasingly. He climbed back up to take control before the motorcycle landed harshly on the two wheels. Sam laughed mischievously while speeding away from Cat. 

Unknowingly, Cat chuckled at his little adversary. “OOOHHH! I do love a challenge!” 

Cat began to chase after Sam while having a widened grin on his face. Throughout the Truffala Forest, Sam and Cat dodged all the animals while saying their polite excuses such as ‘Excuse me’ and ‘Sorry’. Sam shifted his gaze at Cat with a mischievous smirk to see if the cat himself was catching up. 

Suddenly, there’s something glowing around the box, to which both Cat and Sam noticed. 

Cat gasped dramatically. “WHAT THE---?!?!”

Before a word was said, the box just disappeared without a trace. Sam gasped a bit in shock, losing his mischievous. 

“Oh no,” Sam uttered while both of them stopped the chase. 

Cat had his gloved hands up. “I swear it wasn’t me.” He raised his black tail slowly after he said that. He licked his lips. “I don’t swear...I promise.” 

“Isn’t that the same thing?” 

“No.” 

“I’ve got to find that box.” 

“Or tell the boss that the scientists need more time to develop what’s inside of the box.”

Sam looked at Cat sternly. 

“White lies won’t hurt...would it?”

Sam rolled his eyes while taking off his lady costume. He heard the sirens blaring. “We gotta go!” 

“Right!” 

Both of the criminals drove away, dispersed from each other before the cops could show up to where they were. 

Unbeknownst to them, the Lorax had the box in his grasp and was far from their sight. 

“What’s all this hype about this box? I heard that it’s valuable but what’s the big deal about it?” The Lorax asked himself the question as he unlocked the locks and opened it up. 

His eyes widened in horror while closing it immediately. “No...no. If this lands in the wrong hands...oh boy, the worst will come. I have to bury it...I have to bury it someplace safe.” 

And the Lorax knew exactly where to bury the box that he saw as dangerous. 

~.~ 

_ Present--Five years later:  _

_ Guy’s Dream:  _

All Guy could see for a moment was darkness. He felt his body being pushed into the water, strangers’ hands gripped onto his arms like he’s being held down like a dangerous monster. He held his breath while trying to see who’s drowning him. He knew there are people but their faces were a blur. But he saw them wearing white-lab coats. That’s the only thing he could see. However, he heard voices coming from everywhere. 

_ “You belong here.” _

_ “You Belong Here.”  _

_ “YOU BELONG HERE!!!!”  _

That’s all he could hear. Guy screamed but bubbles formed from his mouth. He felt like he’s suffocating, his lungs being filled by the water. When he’s on the verge of passing out, the hands holding onto Guy’s arms pulled him out of the water quickly. 

Guy took a sharp gasp of air with a few coughs while the light blinded him. For a few seconds, he couldn’t see until his wrists and ankles were strapped onto the bed. 

“Run some more tests,” He heard one of the people in lab coats demanding the others around Guy. The switched was flipped on while Guy had his teeth clenched from the electrocution. His body began to tremble. 

“Raise the voltage!” He heard another lab-coat person yelling. The voltage was raised higher, causing him to cry out in pain and forced him to remember the events he didn’t want to recall. The memories of being drowned, the memories of falling from terrifying heights, and the memories of being tortured non-stop by losing the people he loves. 

_ Reality:  _

Guy began to twitch in his sleep in the early morning, waking Michellee up from her sleep. Michellee noticed Guy tossing and turning rapidly while gritting his teeth in pain. 

“Honey?” Michellee called out while seeing tears streaming down Guy’s cheeks. 

“Stop...Stop,” Guy muttered in his sleep tearfully. “Leave me alone...Leave me alone.” 

Michellee scooched closer to Guy and hugged him quickly to calm him down.

“It’s okay, honey, I’m here. It’s okay,” Michellee whispered soothingly while holding him tightly. 

“Please...stop,” Guy whimpered while curling himself into a ball. 

Michellee hugged Guy a bit tighter while resting her head against his chest to hear his racing heart. “It’s okay, I’m here. I’m right here.” 

Guy unconsciously wrapped his arms around her like a teddy bear. It’s sudden that his eyes snapped open with a gasp. He immediately realized that he’s holding Michellee while looking around the room. Guy continued to hug her, trembling. 

“M-Michellee...w-what happened?” Guy stuttered, wiping away the tears on his face. “How did I end up...here?”

Michellee lifted her head up to stare into his tearful eyes. “Goat and Michael found you passed out in the alleyway last night.”

“They did?” 

“Yeah,” Michellee responded while nodding her head slightly in confirmation. 

Guy blinked his eyes and wiped the remaining tears away. 

“Honey,” She called, grabbing his attention. “What happened? Did somebody jump you or hurt you in any way?” 

Last night was a blur for Guy. All he could remember was the burning pain in his body and the words spoken to him. He then remembered screaming in pain and then everything went black. He heard the remaining voices from Michael and Goat, which would explain how he ended up here. However, his eyes widened upon sudden realization. 

“Sam...did I ruin his party?” 

She shook her head. “No, you didn’t, honey. You didn’t.” She hugged him again, letting him hug her back. 

Guy laid his chin on top of her head. “I’m sorry if I scared you--”

“No...I just want you to be okay. That’s all I want,” Michellee uttered a bit. “I’ve been a bit worried about you lately.”

“Why?”

“Well...you-you were always having nightmares...like it’s every night you have them. I’m just worried is all,” Michellee responded sadly. “Do you need to talk to somebody about this or--?”

“No, no...I’m fine. I just...well, I’m okay. I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” 

There’s that look on Michellee’s face that didn’t seem convinced by Guy’s reassurance, he could tell. He took a deep breath and gazed into her eyes. 

“What would it take to convince you that I’m fine?” Guy asked softly, caressing her cheek. 

Michellee pondered about it for a moment. However, her thoughts were interrupted when someone busted through the door. 

“Good morning!” Sam boomed his voice into the bedroom, scaring both Guy and Michellee. 

Guy yelped a bit while having a hand over his chest like he almost suffered a heart attack. “Geez, Sam, you gave us a heart attack.” 

Sam smiled giddily while sitting on the foot of the bed. “I couldn’t contain my excitement.” 

Guy raised his brow to notice his best friend’s good mood. “Why do I have a feeling like you had a life-changing idea?”

“Because I do!” Sam exclaimed like a chirping bird. He switched his focus on Michellee. “Michellee, you’re still taking your daughter on a trip, right?” 

“Uh yes. Why?” Michellee asked, her brow raised like Guy’s. 

Sam’s grin grew wider. “Well, since you’re going with your daughter on this trip, Guy and I can go on a trip together too!”

“Really?” Guy asked while smiling a bit at the idea. But then his smile faded quickly. “Wait, what about being hunted and--?” 

“Don’t worry about that! We won’t be hunted at all. Since Jeckles is dead and the Ghosts are no more, we could at least enjoy the times together. Right?” Sam uttered with a huge smile on his face. 

**_As if the name and the memories were triggered, Guy instantly remembered about last night. What he saw and what he heard were all hallucinations but something told him that they’re not just ordinary hallucinations. No, there were not just ordinary hallucinations at all._ **

**_Guy became a bit more determined to find out why he’s having hallucinations such as these. Even the nightmares were trying to tell him something. Were they telling him that something was going to happen? Something bad? There’s only one way to find out._ **

“That sounds like fun, Sam,” Guy responded, plastering a smile on his face like it’s no big deal. “When are we leaving?” 

“Uh...right now,” Sam answered with a nervous chuckle. “I just saw the ad last night and we--”

“Did you bought the tickets already?”

“Not yet.”

“How are we leaving right now?” 

Sam had suitcases packed up already. “Well, I have been saving up some brunkels for the trip. I was thinking we could buy tickets there at the train station.”

Guy smiled a bit. “You never cease to surprise me.” 

Sam giggled a bit at Guy’s response. 

Michellee softly beamed at both of the guys. “You know what...I think it’s a good idea for both you and Sam. That way you and Sam can spend quality time together like travel buddies.”

Sam beamed brightly. “Yeah!” 

Guy nodded his head in agreement. “Right. I guess it’s good to get out of the city once in a while and not be hunted down.” 

“Yep!” Sam responded excitedly.

“Unless Michellee and E.B wanted to go with us--”

“No, this is a trip for both you and Sam. You guys deserve it,” Michellee replied with a soft smile on her face. 

“Well, let’s get ready for the road!” Sam chirped while dashing out of the room. 

Guy smiled and Michellee sighed lightly. 

“Well, I got to get ready too,” Michellee stated while getting up from the bed and headed out of her room. 

“I hope you and E.B have fun,” Guy responded with a soft smile. 

“You too with Sam,” Michellee acknowledged back and exited out of the room. 

Guy lost his smile from noticing his hand trembling again. He groaned irritably to himself and placed his hand on top of his wrist. However, he felt his hand burning. He lifted his trembling hand and noticed an engraving on it. He opened his hand and stared at it in horror. There’s a symbol engraved on his hand. A familiar symbol that was. It’s a circle with two snakes that formed an X mark. He remembered that symbol in one of his dreams. Why was it engraved in his hand? That answer he didn’t know. 

~.~ 

In the bright blue-sky morning, a car pulled up in front of a white two-story house on the outskirts of Glurfsburg. The wheat swayed in the gentle breeze as the tinted window on the passenger side was rolled down, revealing it to be Michael sitting on the passenger while Goat was driving. Jean perched on the fox’s shoulder, staring intensely at the house along with the fox and the goat. 

“Is that the house?” Jean asked both of his animal friends. 

Michael pulled up a torn piece of paper and examined it for a brief moment. It read:  _ 1534 N. Gruff Ave.  _

Michael gazed back up at the two-story white house. “Yeah, this is it.” 

When Michael was about to get out of the car, Goat put his hoof on the fox’s shoulder. Michael quickly turned his head to look at his friend. 

“You take the front, I’ll take the back,” Goat instructed quietly. 

“Who gets the side?” Jean questioned with a raised brow. 

Goat gave a deadpan stare at the mouse. “No one. Michael, you got the plan?”

“Yep, got it,” Michael answered with a bright grin. 

Goat nodded his head in understanding. “Alright. Let’s go.”

The animals got out of the car. Goat snuck around the back while Michael approached the front door as a normal person would. 

**_In case, you didn’t know, the animals were investigating a burglar who stole a bag of green eggs from a chicken’s coop from a farmer who relied heavily on those eggs for profit. So, our new agents are taking the case._ **

Michael stepped up on the wooden porch while Jean glanced at the fox. 

“I’ll take the side just in case,” Jean whispered to Michael and scurried away to go to the side of the house. Michael took a deep breath and knocked on the screen door. 

There’s no response. Michael cleared his throat while pounding on the door. “BADGUYS, open up!” 

A sudden clattering noise alerted the fox while Michael kicked down the door. He barged through the house to notice the side door left swinging open. 

“Son of a yip!” Michael cursed while heading out the side door. He noticed Jean scurrying up and down on a fox with a black ninja suit on and carrying a bag of eggs. He made an immediate bolt through the wheat field with Goat chasing after him. Michael joined in the chase as he sprinted through the field. He couldn’t see where he’s going or where the fox criminal was but he knew that he must be close. He could smell it. 

Meanwhile, Goat grunted to get through this blinding field only to chase after the burglar. 

“You’ll never catch me!” The fox burglar shouted at the top of his lungs. 

Goat smirked and stifled a chuckle. “Keep shouting like that and let’s see how fast I can catch you!” 

Of course, Goat lost the criminal in the field. 

Michael finally got through the field and leaped to what he thought was the criminal. But it’s not...it’s Goat. Accidentally, he tackled Goat out in the open with him on top of his friend and claws jabbed into the dirt. He couldn’t get up from his position. Goat widened his eyes a bit while Michael chuckled nervously with a blush in embarrassment. 

“Uh...sorry,” Michael uttered while growling at himself for making a stupid mistake. 

Goat chuckled and smiled with a small blush. “It’s fine.” 

Suddenly, the fox criminal was yelping like an alarm going off, causing both of the animals to look up at him. They noticed Jean biting the criminal’s wrist to drop the bag of eggs. 

“Get this thing off of me! Get it off!” The criminal shouted while Goat and Michael exchanged brief glances at each other. 

“Net?” Goat quickly inquired. Michael struggled to get the net but realized that his paws were glued to the ground from his claws. 

“P-Pocket,” Michael responded hesitantly. 

Goat dug his hoof into Michael’s pocket and took out a net gun to shoot the net at the fox burglar. The burglar was caught in the net with Jean but the mouse scurried out with a victory screech. 

“Yes! We got him!” Jean yelled triumphantly while noticing Michael on top of Goat. “Uh...what are you guys doing?” 

“Nothing,” Goat answered blankly while sticking the net back into Michael’s pocket. He glanced at Michael, who’s just frozen in position. “You know, you can get up now, zorro.” 

Michael noticed his position while struggling to get up to his feet. “Uh...I can’t. My claws were stuck in the dirt and I can’t pull them out with breaking them by pure accident--” 

Goat rolled his eyes, grabbed Michael by the fur of his chest with his hooves, and pushed him up for him to stand on his feet. Both of them were standing on their feet while Goat was standing on his hind legs to reach Michael’s height with a smirk.

“See? Problem solved,” Goat responded while getting back on all fours and trotted towards the criminal. 

Michael took a moment to process what just happened and blushed a bit. “Uh...okay. That just happened.” 

Michael and Goat approached the criminal, who’s struggling to get out of the net. 

“What the heck?! How in the heck was the mouse part of the force?!” The fox criminal shouted with an aggressive tone. 

Jean growled while clenching his teeth. “None of your business.” 

Michael picked up the bag of eggs. “I’ll take the eggs back to the chicken coop.”

“You do that. I’ll get this punk,” Goat replied with a growl, not intentionally at Michael. 

The fox criminal immediately recognized Michael. “Hey, aren’t you that vegan fox from down south?!” 

Michael widened his eyes immediately and turned his head with shock. 

Goat didn’t acknowledge the criminal’s recognition while cuffing him in handcuffs. 

Jean raised his brow. “What is he talking about, mon ami?” 

“Yeah, I know you. You’re that one fox dating that one chicken, aren’t you?” The fox questioned while Goat stood him up abruptly on his feet. 

“So what he’s dating a chicken?” Goat grumbled, glaring at the criminal. 

“So what? Oh, I’ll tell you so! He’s stupid for even thinking that he’ll ever find love with that dumb brain of his,” The criminal fox insulted Michael. Michael tried not to get emotional while Jean pet the fox’s neck. 

“Ignore him. He’s not worth listening to,” Jean whispered to Michael. 

“Uh...how did he get into this whole B.A.D.G.U.Y.S force? Did he take a dumb-dumb course--?”

Goat pointed a pistol up to the criminal’s chin with a growl. “Throw one more insult. I dare you.” 

His hoof was on the trigger, ready to pull if the criminal was going to open his mouth. The criminal sealed his lips immediately, intimated by the sudden threat. Goat shifted his attention to Michael, who seemed shocked at Goat’s actions. 

“Get the eggs back to the chicken coop, Michael. I’ll worry about this punk,” Goat reminded Michael of his duties softly. 

Michael nodded his head in understanding while sauntering through the field while Goat guided the criminal back to the car with a gun pointed at his back. 

~.~ 

Michael strolled towards the chicken coop that the eggs were stolen from, which was surprisingly not far from where they were. 

Jean noticed Michael’s frown with a concerned look. “What the criminal said about you is absolute crap.” 

“He’s right. I used to fall in love with a chicken and I am stupid--”

“No, you’re not.”

“I’m not?”

“No. You’re probably one of the smartest foxes I’ve known. You’re the first fox whoever joined the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S force. That’s something that the criminal himself doesn’t have.”

“Yeah...you’re right but...what if--?”

“No what-ifs, Michael. Whatever you did back then, whatever reputation you have back then...that’s all gone now,” Jean stated with a small reassuring smile. “In fact, you get to live a better life than that criminal...right?” 

Michael pondered for a moment. Jean’s right, he did have everything that he could ever want. He wanted people and a group he felt at home...like a real home. The warmth and the belonging. All of it was nice. But...what if that doesn’t last? What if he craves for more? That’s something that scared Michael to his core. 

“Right,” Michael responded with a fake smile. 

Jean nodded his head. “See? Now, let’s get these eggs back to the farmer.”

“Alright.” 

Michael entered the chicken coop full of sleeping hens and roosters and placed all the eggs in the proper place. He sighed heavily, seeing his reflection on the green eggs. He didn’t know how it was possible but the more he looked at it, the more his heart was shattering from the thought of that stupid farmer fox he was back then. Jean noticed rubbed Michael’s neck. 

“Let’s go, friend,” Jean uttered softly. 

Michael nodded his head in agreement and sauntered back towards the exit until he noticed a familiar hen waking up to the sound of his footsteps. She gasped a bit while Michael widened his eyes in recognition. 

“Sandra?” Michael gasped a bit.

“Michael?” Sandra, the green hen, answered. 

Michael smiled in relief. “Hey. Um...you look nice.”

“Look, you’re not getting me back,” Sandra growled a bit with her brows furrowed. 

“I’m not here to get you back. I...guess I understood why you broke up with me.”

“Because--”

“Because I’m a fox?”

“Not only that...but you’re not the right one for me.”

“I know that,” Michael responded softly. “I wished I was though.”

“Well, you never were. You’re stupid and incompetent,” Sandra snarled, waking the other hens and roosters. 

Michael drooped his ears down with a saddened gaze at the hen. “I-I only wanted to give you nice things.”

“Ugh, it’s that stupid fox,” One of the hens gossiped to the rooster next to her. 

Jean twitched his round ears. “I think we should get out of here.”

Almost all of the hens and roosters noticed the eggs in a proper place in the coop but...with Michael holding an empty bag...they could connect the dots easily. 

“He’s trying to steal our eggs!!! Get him!” One of the hens shouted while the chickens began to gobble in unity about the fox stealing the egg. 

“Wait! You got the wrong idea! He’s not stealing the eggs!” Jean tried shouting over their gobbling, defending Michael. Michael slowly backed out of the coop, befuddled about the situation.

“Wait! I’m not going to--!” Suddenly, someone tackled Michael from out of nowhere. Jean flew off of Michael’s shoulder with a squeak while Michael was pinned down on the floor. 

Before Michael could explain or see what’s going on, a fist connected to his jaw rapidly. The fox took an impact of the hit from another fox who’s more muscular than he was. Jean glanced up and scurried up into the muscular man’s shirt and pitter-pattered up and down to make him get off of Michael. The muscular man stood abruptly while Michael got back to his feet. 

“Sir, let me explain--”

Suddenly, two more foxes tackled Michael and pinned him against the wall across from the chicken coop. Jean climbed out of the muscular fox’s shirt and onto his shoulder. 

“Listen! Michael wasn’t trying--!” 

The muscular man knocked Jean off of his shoulder, causing the mouse to crash onto the ground again but this time, passed out.

“Jean!” Michael screamed while a fist punched him in the eye, leaving behind a black eye. 

“Yeah! Get him!” The hens and roosters cried simultaneously while the muscular fox threw a lot more punches at Michael’s face. 

Michael couldn’t muster enough words to explain what happened. 

~.~ 

Meanwhile, Goat shoved the punk criminal fox into the vehicle. While cuffing the criminal on the safety bar so he wouldn’t get away, Goat noticed a tattoo in his hand. It’s a circle with the two snakes crossing each other like an X mark. It looked familiar but he couldn’t recall from where it was before. 

“It’s a nice looking tattoo. Where did you get it?” Goat asked while tightening the cuffs so that it wouldn’t be so loose. 

“None of your business,” The fox criminal snarled while spitting at Goat’s face. Normally Goat would punch the living daylights out of someone if they ever did that but he didn’t. 

“You know, it will become my business soon,” Goat growled while wiping the spit off of his face. 

“Why does that fox have any worth to ya? You know he’s stupid too--”

Goat pointed his pistol at the criminal as a reminder of what he said before. “What was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of complete and utter silence.” 

The fox criminal sealed his lips and the silence emerged. Until Goat heard shouting voices from a distance. 

Goat craned his head and turned around to notice where the shouting was coming from. 

“JEAN!!” Goat heard Michael crying out while shutting the car door. He turned swiftly towards the criminal. 

“Be a good boy and stay,” Goat instructed sarcastically like he’s talking to a misbehaved dog and put duct tape over the fox’s mouth. “There. Now you won’t talk.” 

Goat rushed off with an automatic rifle in his hooves. 

The fox criminal rolled his eyes while mumbling something incoherent. 

~.~ 

Michael’s face was bruised up. There were cuts on his cheek and bottom lip and both of his eyes were blackened. He was shoved onto the ground next to Jean, who woke up to the sound and saw Michael hurt. 

“Sacrebleu! Michael!” Jean squeaked while noticing Michael barely awake. He glared up at the three foxes beating his friend up. “Listen to me! Michael wasn’t stealing the eggs!!! He just put them back! I saw!” 

“Don’t listen to him! He’s on the stalker fox’s side!” One of the roosters bellowed. 

“Michael is not a stalker!!” Jean screamed, just to get them to listen.

“Stalker, eh--?” the muscular fox growled at Michael, who’s barely looking up at him. 

“He used to date with Sandra!” The other hen shouted her claim. 

The muscular fox widened his eyes while drawing his brows together. “Son of a yip!” He kicked Michael in the face, causing the injured fox to grunt. 

Jean growled while charging at the muscular fox but the muscular fox kicked the mouse away from them. 

Michael just laid on the ground, too weak to fight back against the three of the other foxes. The foxes kicked him in the gut non-stop, not giving Michael a chance to get up and explain himself. It seemed endless until he heard a round of shots fired. 

The foxes turned their attention towards Goat, holding an automatic rifle with a pissed-off look on his face. He pointed the dangerous gun at the three foxes. 

“Go ahead, kick him one more time! I dare you!” Goat growled with a glare at the foxes beating his friend up. One fox gave Michael a kick in the gut. Goat took a shot and a bullet crashed onto the fox’s arm, causing him to yelp in pain. Goat cocked his gun again and pointed at the other two. 

“Anyone else?!” Goat barked aggressively at them. The other two stood down along with their main leader. “Good! Beat it before I get trigger happy!” 

The foxes stood there, frozen in fear. 

“I’ll give you till the count of three! One!” 

The three foxes zoomed back to their farmhouse, earning a smirk from Goat. 

“Figures,” Goat muttered to himself while glaring at the chicken coop. “You mind your own business.” 

Goat put his gun away and checked on Michael, who was bruised everywhere. 

“Michael...Michael, are you okay?” Goat asked softly while Jean shook his head to gain consciousness and climbed up on Goat’s head. 

“They were accusing him of stealing eggs,” Jean pointed at the hens and roosters. “That’s what started this whole fight.” 

Goat glared at the chicken coop with his eyes flared up. He let it slide and focused back on Michael, who looked at him with a half-smile formed on his face. 

“H-Hey, Goat,” Michael greeted while his voice was crack. 

Goat shushed Michael. “I have med-kits for you. Can you walk?”

“Maybe.” 

“Here, let me help you up.”

Michael put his arm over Goat’s neck while Goat stood on his hind legs so that he could help the fox to walk. Michael could barely walk, leaning onto Goat more as Goat guided the fox back to the car. Jean climbed on top of Michael’s head and sat there to focus on what’s ahead. 

Michael groaned in pain. “Man, I never have got beaten like that before.”

“I have...it’s not fun,” Goat responded, trying to cheer his fox partner up.

Michael giggled at Goat’s response, letting Goat smiled a bit. 

“Man, you have a lot of experiences, do you?” Michael replied while trying to stick with that half-smile of his. 

Goat shifted his focus ahead. “You’d be surprised.” 

Jean darted his gaze back and forth between Michael and Goat. Clearly, his gut feeling was telling him that something’s up. 

~.~ 

Meanwhile, Michellee, Guy, Sam, and E.B were standing in front of the train station. Sam already bought the tickets to WhoVille with a big excited grin on his face. Guy hugged Michellee tightly and dispersed from her to look into her eyes. 

Michellee cornered a small faint smile. “Are you going to be okay?” 

Guy nodded his head softly. “Yeah. I’m going to be okay. You guys be safe, okay?”

“Of course, we’re going to be safe. It’s you guys I’m worried about,” Michellee responded while turning a bit of her charm on. 

Guy chuckled a bit but it faded quickly. “We’ll be safe.” 

Sam approached Guy and Michellee as the train was about to depart. “Are you ready to go, Guy?” 

Guy glanced at his friend. “Ready as I’ll ever be. I love you guys.” 

“We love you too, honey,” Michellee responded while pecking a kiss on Guy’s cheek. The couple gave a brief hug while Sam hugged E.B tightly. 

“Have a safe trip, guys!” E.B chirped and embraced Sam back tightly.

“We sure will!” Sam responded excitedly. “You too!” 

“Yep!” E.B. beamed while both Guy and Sam rushed to board the train. Both of the boys waved to the girls as they quickly get inside since the train began to depart from the station. 

However, while the boys were walking inside the moving train, they noticed that they could still see Michellee and E.B outside from the windows. Guy smiled at the girls while doing some silly expressions that made both of the girls giggle. Sam did a goofy little dance move where he rocked his hips a bit and moonwalked backward down the hallway, causing E.B to giggle when her mother did a little dance move. 

The moment that was exchanged eventually ended as the train officially departed from the station with Guy and Sam inside. Michellee turned to her daughter with a soft smile stuck on her face. 

“So, are you ready for our trip?” Michellee asked her daughter. 

E.B lost her smile while rubbing her arm. “Are we going to someplace ‘fun’?” 

“Oh yeah, we’re going to have lots of fun! Lots of girl fun!” Michellee answered with a bit of excitement as both she and her daughter headed back to the car. 

E.B began to wonder while muttering to herself, “I hope she won’t take me to the ‘World’s Smallest Thermometer’.” 

~.~ 

A couple of hours passed in the dining cart as both Guy and Sam were laughing and talking about all the things they were looking forward to for this trip while eating Green Eggs and Ham. 

“This is so good,” Sam ignited the conversation joyously while eating his food. 

Guy rolled his eyes playfully. “You eat them every day.”

“True. But they’re still good,” Sam replied happily until his smile was transformed into a frown, having a reminder on the back of his brain.

Guy softly gazed at Sam, noticing his frown suddenly. “Are you okay, Sam?” 

“Yeah...I’m just thinking,” Sam uttered sadly. 

“About--?” Guy already knew what Sam was thinking about but he just wanted to hear his best friend say something about it. 

“My mom,” Sam responded while gazing at his food. “Heh, for years I used the food as a way to find her. But...we went around the world--just to find out that she’s dead. And my dad...I barely remembered him. The only connection I had of him is my hat.” Sam took off of his red hat and gazed at it. “Other than that...I don’t remember much of anything else about him.”

Guy softly gazed at his friend, not knowing what to say that’s comforting. 

Sam turned his frown upside down and giggled a bit to get off the subject. “Sorry, we’re here to have fun and--”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s good to get it out of your systems,” Guy interrupted with a small reassuring smile. He then lost his smile gazed out into the snowy mountains with a light sigh. “You know what’s weird... every time everything seemed fine and dandy...something just had to be wrong.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I don’t know. It’s just...felt like something is wrong...and I don’t know what it is. Are you sure we won’t be hunted?”

Sam grinned a bit. “What are we going to be hunted for? We’re not criminals. Not anymore. We should be in the clear---” 

Suddenly, Sam stopped talking. He had his eyes bulged out while his pupils shrunk in absolute shock. Guy noticed his friend staring at something behind him. He slowly turned his head slightly to notice a tall black cat entering the dining cart, panting like he’s been running from something. The cat was wearing a tall red hat with white stripes while having white fur from his muzzle to his stomach. He glanced around the dining cart, not noticing Guy and Sam. 

Guy shifted his attention back to Sam, who immediately switched hats with him. Sam pulled the menu up while wearing Guy’s old brown crumpled hat to cover his face. 

Guy didn’t know what’s going on or why Sam all of the sudden decided to switch hats. All he knew was that Sam must have known this cat from before and maybe...they weren’t on good terms. He eyed on the cat discreetly while hiding behind his own menu as the cat passed by them with no regards until the cat just flicked a glance at Sam’s red hat on Guy’s hat. That’s when the cat stopped in his tracks and slowly backed up towards the table where they were. The cat stared at Sam’s hat while moving his eyes at Guy, who seemed confused about why the cat was just staring at him. When Guy tried to read the cat’s mind...there’s nothing but chaos and havoc within, making it hard for him to read the cat’s mind.

The cat grinned a bit. “That red hat does not look good on you, my friend. You looked too old to be wearing that.” 

“Gee, thanks,” Guy grumbled a bit, looking back into his menu and hoping that the cat would just leave. He noticed the cat shifting his glance over at Sam, who’s hiding behind Guy’s old hat and the menu. It’s almost like the cat was connecting the dots when he lifted the old hat off of Sam and switched it back over. 

“AHA! I knew it!” the cat laughed like he solved an unsolved mystery. Sam groaned irritably while the cat took a seat next to Sam. “Your hat-switching trick didn’t work on me.” 

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Guy asked sternly, almost ready to protect Sam from this...cat. 

The cat turned his head to look at Guy and gave a pleasant smile. “Oh, how rude of me to not introduce myself. I am known as The Cat in the Hat...you can call me Cat. And you are?” 

“Guy.”

Cat raised his brow. “Guy. Guy. Guy! Uhhh...Guy Who?”

“Guy Am I.”

The cat’s brow twitched in confusion. “Are you a guy?” 

Guy seemed confused at first but then sighed deeply. “Yes, I’m a guy. And my name is Guy Am I.” 

There’s a brief awkward pause until something clicked in Cat’s brain. “Oh...that’s your full name. Guy Am I...you know, you’re going to confuse people with your full name. It’s almost like you’re asking yourself if you’re a guy or not.”

Guy crossed his arms across his chest with a groan. “It’s a family name.”

“Ah, I see.” 

“What do you want, Cat?” Sam interrupted the conversation between Cat and Guy. 

Cat looked around the dining cart urgently. “Uh...do you mind if I sit by you guys for a while?”

“No,” Sam responded sternly, still hiding behind the menu. 

Cat widened his pleasant smile. “Thanks!” 

“That’s not what I meant,” Sam groaned irritably while scooching away from Cat. 

Cat ignored Sam’s last comment while seeing a couple of buff muscular men entering the dining cart, barely fitting the doorway with their thick arms. Their black suits and bald heads gleamed from the light. Their eyes were covered by their sunglasses. 

“Be right back.” Cat ducked his head underneath the table and then popped out with a complete new disguise. He had a funny-looking mustache with an eyeglass resting on one eye while having a white suit with red dots all over it. He had a tea set in front of him and poured some tea on the tiny teacup. He picked it up with his pinky extended while slurping it elegantly. 

Guy became mildly baffled. “What’s going on?” 

“What did you do, Cat?” Sam questioned immediately, looking over his menu to focus on Cat. 

Cat leaned over to them. “Let’s say that I’m being hunted. Just pretend I’m Tom Hiddleston.”

“What?” Guy responded with a raised brow.

Cat shook his head as if his mind was changed suddenly. “No...too copyrighted. Uh...let’s go with Hugh Jackman...no, that’s Australian and copyrighted. Um...just say that I’m Dr. Walrock. There. A good name for a British man.” 

They heard heavy footsteps approaching them while Guy raised the menu higher to cover his face. 

Cat quickly glanced over at Sam, who’s now just hiding from whatever was going on. “Hey, you should wear that hot Dr. Linda Schwartz’s costume to--”

“I don’t do scams anymore, Cat,” Sam growled while the muscular men walked closer to them. 

Cat widened his eyes. “Why not? Aren’t you a--?”

“I’m not a criminal anymore,” Sam confessed with a low whisper.

The men stopped in their tracks and turned their heads at the table with Sam, Guy, and Cat were sitting at. 

Cat turned his head to notice the two muscular men approaching the table and glaring at the three of them. He slurped his tea dramatically while licking his lips to taste the remaining tea-stained on his white-furred lips. 

One of the men squinted at Guy and Sam. “Who are these people?!”

Cat turned his head to Guy and Sam and then back at the men. “This is Michael.” Cat pointed at Guy to introduce while using his British accent. “And that’s Jackson.” Cat inferred towards Sam.” 

The man held up a picture of Sam in a wanted poster. “We’re looking for him along with his adversary.” 

The other man showed a picture of Cat. 

Cat, being disguised as a British man, gave an innocent grin. “I don’t know who those boys are.” 

“Oh...not to mention that we’re looking for his little friend too,” Another man replied quickly while holding out a picture of Guy. 

Guy widened his eyes in shock from peeking over his menu and buried his face in it a little longer, his heart racing. 

“I still have no idea who those boys are,” Cat answered, still talking in his British accent. 

“Then how come your companions are hiding their faces behind the menus?” One of the men interrogated. Guy watched as Sam put down his menu but he had long purple wavy hair that was a wig while wearing a short pink dress. He had that seductive look to him when he stared up at the men. 

“Jackson?” The other man uttered, confused. 

“Elizabeth Jackson,” Sam lied, although Guy knew what he was doing. Too bad Guy doesn’t have a proper disguise to dodge a bullet. 

“Nice save,” Cat whispered to Sam quietly. 

The other man looked at Guy hiding behind the menu. “Who’s he?”

“I just told you. His name is Michael,” Cat responded.

“Michael who?”

There’s a brief awkward pause. 

“Michael Douglas,” Cat lied, his lies rolling off of his tongue perfectly.

Guy heard the gun cocking, which scared him a bit. He took a deep breath as one of the men snatched the menu out of his grasp. Guy immediately reacted to this by using his telekinesis powers to move the table and use the table to push the men away from them, causing a complete wave of shock from everyone around them. 

Cat had his eyes widened in sudden shock. “Did I just witness--?”

“Yeah, come on!” Sam urged while taking off his lady costume and grabbed Cat by the wrist to run out of the dining cart with Guy following them. 

The three of them sprinted out of the dining cart and zoomed through the toy train cart where Cat stopped and looked at the toy that appeared exactly like the train they were on. 

“Hey look, guys! That’s us and those men are--wait a minute,” Cat immediately realized while the three of them turned around to see the muscular men bursting into the toy train cart. One of the men pulled out a sonic beam gun and aimed it at Guy. 

Cat took off his hat and reached into it. He pulled out a shotgun and aimed it at the man pointing his gun at Guy. He pulled the trigger quickly, with the bullets crashing into the man’s shoulder. 

“Yes! Right in the shoulder!” Cat yelped victoriously as he put his hat back on. 

The three of them bolted out of the toy train cart while Guy held the door close with his mind. 

“Guys! Go!” Guy shouted to Sam and Cat. 

“I’m not leaving you!” Sam refused to leave his best friend. 

Cat looked around him urgently. “You’re going to have to. Come on!” 

Cat took Sam by the wrist and pulled him along into the bar cart. Guy stepped towards the bar cart while watching carefully at a couple of men attempting to bust through the door to get to them.

Guy heard beeping going on from the other side and suddenly realized something. They placed a bomb on the door. Before Guy could react, the bomb blew the door open and pushed Guy back. Luckily, Cat caught him from behind and shut the door behind the three of them, trapping them in the bar cart. He pulled out a wielding tool from his hat and drilled the door to seal it. Sam helped Guy up on his feet while Guy was gaining consciousness. 

“Who are those maniacs?!” Sam shouted at Cat, who just shrugged. 

“You got me,” Cat answered while the men were pounding on the door. The three of them turned around to notice a bunch of monkey bars ahead of them. Cat chuckled nervously. “Well, gotta go. Be right back.” 

Cat took off his hat and tossed it aside. He jumped into it, causing both him and the hat to disappear. 

Sam groaned irritably. “I knew he’s going to do that.”

Both Sam and Guy heard pounding from the door. 

“Go! Go!” Guy yelled urgently while both of them made a run for it. Sam bolted ahead of Guy as they climbed through the monkey bars. The door was busted down by the muscular men. The men quickly followed after them. As Sam sprinted ahead of Guy, one of the men pulled out the sonic gun and pulled the trigger. Waves of frequencies traveled through the room and surrounded Guy. Its ultrasound caused Guy to scream in pain while covering his head. Guy collapsed on his knees on the monkey bars. 

Sam quickly turned his head around while noticing his best friend in trouble. “Guy!” 

Another man pulled out his pistol and pulled the trigger at Sam but it missed him luckily.

“Just go!” was all Guy was able to scream out. 

Sam hesitated while witnessing one of the men had his bulky fist around Guy’s throat and slammed him against the wall. He shook his head and bolted towards the men. He took down one of the men with the pistol. He knocked the pistol out of the man’s grasp but the man’s muscular arm wrapped around Sam and squished him like a stuffed bear. 

Sam growled while chomping at the man’s hand with his teeth. The man yelped in pain while thrusting Sam away from him. Sam screeched, not knowing that there’s a portal that opened up behind him. And that portal didn’t come from Guy. Suddenly, when the man glanced back at his partner, another portal popped open and Sam flew right through it. Sam was thrusted against the man’s face unexpectedly, knocking both of them over the monkey bars. Luckily, someone grabbed Sam by the foot, letting the man himself fall over.

When the other man, who’s holding barely conscious Guy hostage, glanced over his shoulder, a sharp tip from a spear stabbed him by the throat, choking him. He lost his grip around Guy’s throat as Guy fell onto the sidebar of the monkey bar. Guy’s vision was a blur while he slowly gazed up at who just rescued him. Cat stood there with a devilish grin on his face while holding the spear. He knocked the man over, falling off of the monkey bars while holding onto Sam. Sam widened his eyes in shock. 

Cat smirked playfully. “I told you I’d be right back.” 

“Where did you even go?”

“To the bathroom,” Cat answered without hesitation as he set Sam on his feet. 

Sam ran up to Guy and shook him gently on the shoulder. “Guy, are you okay?”

Guy barely glanced up at Sam, blood trickling down from his nostril from the ultrasound from earlier. 

Cat clenched his teeth. “Yeah, that doesn’t look good. We got to go!” 

Suddenly, they noticed more men in suits coming into the bar cart, which shocked Sam. 

“Oh, give us a big fat break!” Cat snarled while sighing at the end of his sentence. 

Sam noticed a hole above the ceiling leading towards the roof of the train. “Follow me!” 

Sam and Cat helped Guy up to his feet and climbed up to the rooftop of the train. While Guy was trying to understand what’s going on, Cat closed the lid of the hole they climbed out of from. The wind blew harshly from the speed of the train but luckily, the three of them were able to stick onto the train. 

“What now?!” Cat shouted while noticing the lid about to be punched open. 

“I’ll think of something!” Sam responded, looking around for anywhere to jump off that was safe. 

Guy gained consciousness and saw the twisted railroad ahead. “Uh...guys.” 

Cat and Sam glanced ahead of them. 

“Rollercoaster twist! Fun!” Cat exclaimed giddily while taking his hat off. He dug his hand inside of his hat and pulled it back out. Nothing changed except for the fact that when he slapped his hand on the train rooftop, it stuck. 

“Perfect!” Cat responded while looking back at Guy. He extended his other hand out. “Guy, give me your hands!” 

“What?!” Guy barked, his eyes widening. 

“Trust me!” Cat assured Guy in a loud voice. 

Guy reached his hands towards Cat's. Cat gripped both of Guy’s hands with his only hand and rubbed something slimy and sticky on his hands. 

“Now, stick them on the metal! Hurry!” Cat instructed urgently. 

Guy did as instructed, his hands sticking onto the metal perfectly. 

“Sam! You better hold onto your tall buddy! It’s going to get wild!” Cat replied dramatically while Sam immediately hugged him when the train was flipped over upside down by the twisted railroad. However, both Cat’s and Guy’s feet didn’t stick onto the train. They were soon hanging on to the metal of the train rooftop. 

In an instant, the lid door opened in front of them. One of the men in black suits was hanging by the rim close to them while there were others who fell out of the train. The man hanging on the rim pulled out his sonic gun but the train was turned right side up when he’s about to pull the trigger. The group instantly land flat on their stomachs while the man landed back inside the train. 

The train twisted upside down again while the man had his gun ready and was hanging on the rim outside of the train. Before he could pull the trigger, Cat used his tail to grab his wrist and smacked him with his own gun. 

“Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!” Cat insulted the man like a child. 

The man growled and grabbed Cat by the tail, pulling him towards the opening and tearing off the sticky particles off of him. Cat let out a shriek before Sam snatched his wrist with his legs holding onto Guy’s waist. 

“Hold on, Cat!” Sam yelled, glaring at the man. 

Cat glanced down at the man and used the fluffy end of his tail to swipe at the man’s nostrils. The man almost let out a sneeze while loosening his grip around Cat’s tail, giving Cat a perfect opportunity to kick him in the face with his dangled feet. So, Cat kicked the man in the face until the man let go of his tail and fell to his death, causing Cat to almost fall but Sam was still grabbing onto his wrist. Cat noticed Sam sliding down, losing his grip around Guy’s waist. 

“Sam!” Guy shouted while trying to move his hands so that he could grab Sam. 

Cat had an idea sparked in his head and flicked his wrist away from Sam’s grasp. He took off his hat again and waited for a perfect moment to use it.

“Guy! I’m slipping! I’m slipping!” Sam screamed, panicked. 

“Hold on! Let me--!” Guy attempted at moving his hands but they were stuck in place. “I can’t grab you! I can’t!” 

Sam lost his grip and slipped off, causing both Cat and Sam to fall. 

“SAM! CAT!” Guy cried out while Cat used his hat to create a portal beneath both him and Sam. They fell through while the portal closed up, raising some question for Guy. He breathed heavily while the train turned back right side up. His body was trembling until he glanced up, noticing both Sam and Cat appearing out of nowhere. 

“Did you miss us?” Cat grinned at Guy innocently but was talking in a mischievous tone. 

Guy gasped a bit while being a bit relieved that both Cat and, most importantly, Sam were okay. 

“Thank goodness you guys are okay...is there any way I can get unstuck from this?” Guy inquired out of Cat immediately. 

“Yeah,” Cat answered while rubbing the sticky particles off of Guy’s hands. “There!” 

“Seriously? It’s that easy?” Guy growled but not at Cat. 

“Yep! Say, where are we heading I wonder,” Cat spoke as the three of them glanced ahead and noticed a railroad bridge between two wide ledges with a pile of explosives piled in the middle of it. 

“Uh...What are those?” Sam uttered his question, pointing at the explosives. 

“Blow it up!” They heard someone shouting.

Suddenly, the explosives exploded on the railroad bridge, causing a huge gap between the two ledges. 

Guy had his eyes bulged out. “Oh no.”

“Well, that’s just great. We’re going to fall straight to our death. That sounds lovely,” Cat implied sarcastically. 

“The driver might stop it in time,” Sam spoke up, a little hopeful in his tone. Although, that hope was immediately destroyed when they saw the driver of the train getting thrown out from the driver cart and crashed onto the mountain beside the train going for the gap. 

“Well...now what?” Cat questioned, mostly to himself. “I can get us out of this mess--”

“What about those people inside the train? They’re going to die if we don’t stop it!” Guy pointed out. 

“Guy...we’re wanted men. Not heroes,” Cat replied with a deadpanned stare at Guy. “There’s no way we can stop this train.”

Guy glanced ahead of him and saw that the train was getting close. He gritted his teeth and switched his focus on both Cat and Sam while noticing the hunters coming out of the train to get them. 

“Sam! Cat! Do you think you guys could cover me?! I’m going to stop the train!” Guy yelled. 

Sam brightened up his smile while nodding his head. “Of course, buddy!” 

“Oh boy...well...alright...but we’re coming back for you if you fall off the cliff,” Cat responded while readying his fists.

“It’s not like I haven’t fallen off a cliff before,” Guy muttered underneath his breath while standing up on his feet. Guy immediately sprinted his way towards the driving cart while Sam and Cat were fighting off the men coming at them. 

Guy reached the driver cart and swung himself inside from the window. He noticed a buff man controlling the train with a glare at Guy. Guy used his mind force to push the man out of the window on the other side of the cart. He noticed a red lever and pulled it harshly. The wheels of the train stopped suddenly, screeching and igniting the sparks underneath it. However, it still was heading straight towards the cliff too fast still. 

“It won’t stop in time,” Guy told himself while planting his feet firmly. He took a deep breath, not knowing what he’s capable of until he could try it. He extended his hands out quickly and used his mind to slow the speed of the train. The golden glow surrounded the wheel while the train still continued towards the dreadful ledge. He squeezed his eyes closed and used all of his mental strength to slow the train down. The train began to slow down but it still was getting close to the edge. 

From outside of the train, Cat and Sam noticed the train slowing down faster than usual. 

Cat knocked the last man off of the train with a raised brow. “Uh...the train was stopping faster than usual--.”

“Guy!” Sam shouted urgently as he ran towards the driver cart. Cat followed after him. 

Meanwhile, Guy continued to use his mind to stop the train, causing a huge migraine on his head. He began to scream out in pain but it was barely audible. The train edged up towards the ledge and slowed to a stop. 

Guy let out a heavy breath while collapsing onto the floor. For some reason, he became dizzy after stopping the train. 

“Guy!” He heard Sam shouting his name. 

“We got to go! Now!” Guy could hear Cat yelling. 

Then...everything blacked out for him. 

_**To Be Continued...** _


	3. The Bloody Purpose

**_Episode Three: The Bloody Purpose_ **

_***Warning: Brief mention of puking and blood.*** _

Michael was bandaged up from the early fight he had with the farmers. He seemed to be deep in thought while sitting on the barstool at the bar just nearby the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S. precinct. Goat wasn’t with him for now because he’s getting lectured from the Big Man for his actions earlier today. Of course, the fox didn’t think it’s wrong. If it wasn’t for Goat stepping in, he would’ve been blacked out...or he would’ve been injured severely worst than what he had already been through. 

Michael gazed into his empty shot glass while Jean sat next to his elbow. 

“What are you thinking about, mon ami?” Jean asked the fox, his brow raised.

Michael shrugged his shoulders. “About today...it was--intense.”

“Really intense,” Jean concurred with Michael. He noticed the fox’s bandages. “Goat did a good job with the bandages.”

“Yeah, he did,” Michael responded, unaware of his smile growing wide with a light blush. He quickly shook it off. “I mean, if he wasn’t there...I don’t know what would happen to me...I don’t know what would happen to you.”

Jean twisted his mouth while gazing up at the cups and glasses placed in a cupboard in front of them. “Well...he’s having the talk with the Big Man...let’s just hope that he won’t get suspended or fired.” 

“Yeah...that would suck,” Michael replied with a sigh at the end of his sentence. He began to think about what happened at the chicken coop. He was hoping to see Sandra again so that he could work out whatever was causing their break-up but, at the same time, he already got his answer when she looked at him with absolute disgust. Was he that unlovable? He’s been told he’s stupid and maybe he was but that shouldn’t be why he’s unlovable...right? 

His heart shattered when thinking about it too deeply, raising some concern for Jean. 

“Michael?” 

Michael snapped out of his thoughts. “Huh?”

Jean gave him a sympathetic look. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about what Sandra said?”

“Yeah...and the criminal we turned in said,” Michael answered sorrowfully. “I don’t know his name personally...but I do know him from a long time ago. He was addicted to eggs...like me. And...well, I guess he thought I was stupid for falling in love with a chicken. Do you think it’s stupid?”

“A little. I mean, give or take the situation. You eat eggs and...that’s okay. You guys weren’t the right fit. It takes time to find your soulmate,” Jean comforted. “But, hey, people do stupid things all the time. It’s part of living, right?”

Michael smiled a bit. “Right.” 

Both of the animals heard hooves clattering on the floor as Goat hopped on the barstool next to Michael. 

Michael turned to Goat. “So...how did your meeting with the Big Man go?” 

“Eh, he yelled at me and scolded me for taking the shots. The usual,” Goat responded with a shrug like it’s not a big deal. 

Michael began to become concerned. “You could’ve lost your job, man.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time losing a job,” Goat answered abrasively but then was taken back by his words. “Although...to be honest. I like this job. Probably better than the ones I had to do for certain crime folks.”

“Yeah, I like this job too,” Michael agreed with Goat but then he frowned. “Thank you.”

“Hm?” Goat turned his head to look at Michael. “For what?”

“For standing up for me...I don’t get people standing up for me often...they took one look at me and thought of me as a monster. Or just some stupid fox orphan who would do anything just to get somewhere. Anywhere, really. If you weren’t there today...I-um-probably would’ve gotten hurt a lot worst than right now.”

“Uh-uh, y-you’re welcome. Have they ever told you that?”

“What?”

“That you’re a stupid fox?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh...I thought that they were from your thoughts.”

“No, I’ve been told that by more than a couple of farmers. Even the cops were stereotyping me.”

“Oh, well...nevermind.”

There’s a brief silence among both of them. 

“This was back before I even met Guy and got into this whole Ghost situation,” Michael explained softly. “For once, after I met Guy’s family and friends, I felt like I belong there and that’s the first time I had this feeling.” 

“I guess it’s the first time for both of us,” Goat responded while smiling softly at Michael. 

They both exchanged warm smiles at each other. Jean glanced at his friends with a raised brow. Goat was the first one who shook it off. 

“Well, I turned in the criminal fox we caught earlier today,” Goat skipped towards another subject. 

“Really? Did you get a name out of him?” Michael questioned Goat. 

“Dylan. That’s his name. He had that nice-looking tattoo on his paw,” Goat informed plainly. 

“What tattoo?” Jean stepped into the conversation. 

Goat pondered up an image of the tattoo. “It looked too familiar. It’s a circle with two snakes making an X mark.” 

“Why does it looked familiar?” Michael inquired, paying attention to Goat. 

“I don’t know. It’s almost like I saw it before,” Goat answered with a shrug. 

Jean smiled a bit at both of his animal friends. “Well...we solved this case. We’re getting pretty good at this.”

“I don’t think we completely solved the case, amigo,” Goat uttered. “That tattoo couldn’t just be random...right?” 

Michael pondered for a moment. “Well...we caught the person who caused all the havoc on the farms. Maybe we’ll have to find more eggs soon.”

“Maybe. I do have a feeling he’s working for somebody though. Somebody higher up than him,” Goat replied while receiving a shot glass of whiskey. 

The bartender poured whiskey into another shot glass and slid it down to Michael. Michael took a shot from it. “What makes you think of that?” 

“Well...he doesn’t seem to be independent...I don’t know. Maybe he’s doing it for the brunkels. I know I’ve been there before,” Goat answered Michael’s question while he took his shot. 

Jean glanced at the whiskey and the shot glasses. “You do realize that one of you has to drive, right?” 

“I feel like drowning my sorrows,” Michael replied with a small sad chuckle. He frowned after he said this while gazing deep into his empty shot glass.

Goat twisted his mouth while glancing down at the glass and pushing it away. “I’ll drive then. If that makes you feel any better, Jean.” 

Jean smiled a bit. “That would make the situation a bit better.” 

Michael still stared at the shot glass sorrowfully, getting a little light-headed from the drink. “Am I--that unlovable?” He muttered that question to himself but he didn’t think Goat and Jean heard. 

“What makes you say that?” Goat asked softly to his friend. 

“I-I just saw Sandra again. I was going to talk things out with her...find out what the reason was for the break-up and...well, she said that I was stupid and incompetent. Not only that...it’s because I’m a fox.” Michael looked at his reflection in the cup, his ears drooping down. 

Goat furrowed his brows while processing what had been said to him. He sighed deeply. “She’s not worth it, Michael.” 

Michael raised his brow and then tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Goat softly glanced over at the fox with a soft gaze. “She’s not worth your time, zorro. If you want to find someone out there who loves you for you, despite your flaws, you know that you found the right person. On top of that, they’re worth it. You’ll find somebody out there who will love you for you. You’ll see.”

“But--Goat--” Michael bit his bottom lip while shaking his head. 

“Yes?” 

Michael sighed deeply. “Nevermind. It’s going to sound...I don’t know, stupid.”

Goat leaned a bit to listen. “I’m all ears.”

“Well...I was going to ask...how will I know if someone will love me for me? How will they ever love someone like me?” 

Jean leaned in closer to the conversation, watching the talk proceeding. 

Goat paused while twisting his mouth to think for a second. “Someone will. I know someone out there will fall in love with you for you.” 

“No, they won’t. Believe me...I tried,” Michael responded with his voice croaked. 

Goat softly gazed at Michael. “Maybe you tried it with the wrong kind of a person.” 

Both of them exchanged brief glances at each other, silence emerging. They quickly change their sights to somewhere else. 

“Well...I-um-I--” Michael noticed the bartender pouring whiskey into his glass. He quickly took a shot and bolted for the bathroom. 

Goat seemed genuinely confused for a moment, almost tempted to chase after the fox to ask him what’s wrong. Did he say something stupid? No, he’s saying the right stuff, right? He rolled his eyes at himself with a grunt and gestured the bartender to leave the whiskey with them. He figured Michael was going through something that he won’t understand unless the fox was willing to talk about it with him. When he glanced over at Jean, the mouse appeared to be baffled. 

“What?” Goat questioned, going back to his usual harsh tone. 

Jean twitched his brow. “Um...I’ve never seen you giving such heart-warming advice before. Or look and speak to someone softly.” 

“Excuse me? I’ve done this with Guy before. It’s not different,” Goat responded, a bit defensive. 

“Yeah but you don’t always do that when you’re around Guy...do you?” Jean questioned, his brow-raising higher. 

“What are you getting at, amigo?”

“What do you think I’m getting at, monsieur?” 

There’s a brief awkward pause between them. 

“Seriously, amigo, what are you getting at?” Goat broke the silence with a groan. 

Jean tilted his head. “Well...for one, you were not always nice to everyone.”

“Yeah...and your point?”

“But you’re always nice to Michael. I mean, you shot a fox today because they were hurting him.”

“That’s different. They were hurting him--”

“And offered to bandage up his wounds--”

“That’s something that you do for friends--”

“And when that fox criminal was insulting him, you used a pistol to get him to shut up.” 

“I do that with you too--”

“No...when someone insulted me, you just tell them to ‘shut up’ and move on. With Michael, you take extreme measures to get someone to actually shut their mouths or move away from Michael.” 

“I do this with everyone, amigo. Remember, after the Ghosts hurt E.B when they kidnapped her, I shot all of those sons of yips down? I don’t do this ‘nice stuff’ with just one person if that’s what you’re getting at.”

Jean furrowed his brow and cleared his throat. “And the way you let him pounce on top of you while we’re chasing the fox criminal. And that smile...” 

“You know what? What Michael did was pure accident. End of story,” Goat stated out the facts with a little growl in irritation. 

“And now you’re defending him,” Jean pointed out while Goat slammed his head against the wooden counter, growling while blushing madly. The mouse patted on the goat’s shoulder. “There. There. I can keep it a secret for you if you want to--.” 

“Shut...your...face,” Goat snarled a bit while lifting his head to look at Jean with a death stare. “If you’re implying what I think you’re implying than you’re wrong, zorro.”

“Zorro...you never call me that...?” 

Goat suddenly realized his mistake with a groan while blushing madly. He glanced around him rapidly and quickly took the whiskey bottle. He drank it like he’s never going to have it again. 

Jean raised his brow while twitching his whiskers. “Okay, now you’re acting immature.” 

Goat slammed the bottle down, leaving the bottom half of the whiskey in the bottle. His head pounded onto the counter with a sigh. “The bottom half was for Michael if he wants any.”

Jean twitched his ears while sighing deeply. “Welp, guess I’ll call my wife and kid and tell them that I’m going to be home late.” 

Jean scurried away towards the nearest phone booth while Goat groaned to himself in the bar. 

~.~ 

Gluntz entered the office belonging to the Big Man, which in reality he’s a short red-furred man with a tie and suit standing on his wooden desk. 

“You need me, boss?” Gluntz asked while closing the door behind her. 

“Yes, Agent Gluntz. There’s a prison escape,” The Big Man informed immediately, looking out of the window while having his back turned to Gluntz. 

Gluntz widened her eyes and then narrowed her focus in determination. “Who escaped?”

“Hervnick Z. Snerz. I’m sure you’ve heard of him,” The Big Man answered, shifting his attention to Gluntz while turning to face her. 

Gluntz had her eyes bulged out. “The ex-owner of Snerzco?”

“Yep. Your job is to hunt him down,” The Big Man instructed with his arms crossed.

She nodded her head while about to step out of the door. 

“I also want your advice,” The Big Man spoke up before she could exit his office. 

She turned her head to look at him. “Advice on what, sir?” 

He lowered his gaze down on the desk he’s standing on, biting his lips. “There’s been a mass murder going on. A dangerous man is known as the Biologist.” 

Gluntz had the urge to laugh. What’s so scary about the Biologist? She had no idea. She pulled herself together while clearing your throat. “B-Biologist, sir.”

“Yes, and it’s no laughing matter. He killed knoxes and animals alike. We don’t know who he is or where he came from. We knew that he was the one who had been murdering people left and right. I don’t know who to send for that case because...it appeared to be hard to tackle. Do you know any recruits who could handle this type of case, Agent Gluntz?” 

Gluntz pondered for a moment while having a bright smile as if she’s got an idea. “Sir, I know just the right men for the job.” 

~.~ 

Meanwhile, Goat and Michael were staring into space at the weird-looking painting while country music was playing in the background. One bottle of whiskey was empty but there’s another one that was half-empty. Jean sat there, unamused by his drunken friends’ lack of maturity. 

“I spy with my little eye something...blue,” Michael spoke up, his words slurred. 

Goat squinted. “Uh...sky?”

“Ah, dang it.” 

Jean rolled his eyes at his friends while being the only one who’s not drinking that vile liquid. At least, that’s what he considered vile. It hurt his stomach if he could even drink one shot of it. He heard the bell ringing, indicating that someone just walked into the bar. He slightly turned his head to look who’s coming in the bar. His eyes widened immediately when he saw a hooded figure strolling through the bar in the shadows. Of course, the figure didn’t notice the mouse but the mouse noticed him. 

“Sacrebleu! The Ghost!” Jean cursed underneath his breath while raising his paw up to hide face and looked away immediately. He took deep heavy breaths while peeking a look to notice the assassin approaching the man with a pink colored fur and a fedora. Jean put his paw down and watched them carefully as the assassin waited for the man to stand up. The mouse observed them interacting with each other and strolling towards the door off to the side. Jean shifted his gaze at Goat and Michael, who were still playing that ‘I Spy’ game with a few drunken laughs and chuckles. The mouse twitched his brow and then determined himself to follow after the stranger and the assassin.

~.~ 

Jean entered through the vent while following the two strangers’ voices that trailed down the hallway next to the vent. The mouse perked his ears up to listen to their conversation.

“What’s the next mission?” He heard one voice asking the question.

“Wait till we get into the Red Room. Then, you can ask your question,” Jean heard another voice answering the question, almost whispering. 

“Red Room?” Jean questioned himself as he noticed a red light shining ahead of him to his left. The mouse turned left in the vent and then stopped when he encountered the vent door. As if it’s on cue, The assassin and the man entered the room. The red light was switched back onto the normally brightened light. Jean glanced around the room to see all the photographs were hung on the line to dry. 

“Did you erase all evidence of those robots?” The man inquired of the assassin, grabbing Jean’s attention back at the two of them. 

“As soon as the assassination was done,” The assassin answered plainly. 

“Excellent. Did you learn anything from it?” 

Silence emerged from the room, causing Jean’s heart to beat rapidly in anxiety. 

“No. I don’t pity the man. He’s done horrible things. He deserved to die,” The assassin responded coldly. 

Jean squinted through the lens of the vent door, trying to see who the person was but couldn’t since the assassin had his hood on. 

“Indeed he does. Did you kill him out of vengeance or just following orders?” 

“Why does it matter?” 

The man sighed deeply. “You wanted to do this for a while. You’ve trained your whole life for that moment and you accomplished it. Tell me, don’t you feel empty inside now?”

“Can we get straight to the point?” The assassin growled a bit. “You called me down here for a favor.” 

“Yes, did you know that the man you killed had a partner?” 

“Partner?”

“How do you think he could make those bombs?” 

Jean didn’t know what they were talking about. What was he getting himself into? The mouse noticed a vent door on the other side, so that he could see the face of the assassin better. Jean quickly scurried around the room while listening to the conversation still. 

“You want me to kill his partner?” The assassin responded to the man’s question. 

“Not just his partner...every person his partner hired. Every person who shared a business affair with him. Every person in the world...starting...with Snerz.”

“Snerz? Why would he be working for a cruel man like Jeckles’s partner?” 

Jean had his eyes bulged when he heard that name. He reached to the vent on the other side and was able to see the assassin’s face...well not exactly. The assassin had a black bandana covering his mouth and nose and his eyes were hidden under the hood. 

“Snerz had his cronies who he competed over who was better. Such childish games for a middle-aged man. But, it makes good business for Jeckles. He sent his former employee to get that endangered species...uh, what was it? A chickeraffe? However his former employee--”

“Sam,” The assassin uttered softly. 

Jean widened his eyes in complete shock. How would this stranger know Sam’s name?

“What?” the man inquired. 

“Sam I Am. He used to work for Jeckles,” The assassin informed. “He double-crossed both Snerz and Jeckles.”

“You know him?”

Again, the silence emerged from the room.

“Yes,” The assassin finally answered. 

Jean blinked his eyes while raising his brow. 

“You know, we’re in the safe room and I already know who you are. You might as well take off the bandana and hood. It’s getting hot in here,” The man pointed out while flapping his shirt from the heat. 

Jean could feel his brows sweating and his paws clammy from the heat as well.

“You made a good point,” The assassin stated as he took off the bandana and then...the hood. 

That’s when Jean had his eyes bulged out even more. He had the urge to squeak a curse word from the shock he’s going through right now. The mouse saw the familiar blue-furred man with fluffy cheeks staring at the other man with a soft gaze. 

“L-Louis?” Jean squeaked while stepping back slowly.

“How long are you going to keep playing that detective card?” The man asked Louis. 

Louis gave a deadpanned stare. “As long as I can. You know that, Murray.”

“I know that...but you can’t play detective forever,” The man countered back while sighing. 

Jean felt nothing but rage at this point, enraged with the fact that he’s been lied to. “WHAT THE F---?!” 

Louis and the stranger he’s with heard a loud squeaking sound from the vent door. 

“YOU MOTHER--!!” 

Both Louis and Murray continued to hear squeaky noises from the vent door with Louis understanding every word of it while Murray just looked at the vent door confused.

“Is that a mouse in there?” Murray whispered to Louis. 

“Yep...I know who it is,” Louis replied with a hushed tone. He quickly opened the vent door and grabbed Jean out of the vent. Jean scurried around Louis’s hand, biting his hand but soon realized that he’s wearing gloves. 

Louis set Jean down on the wooden table. Jean was squeaking and cursing like a sailor while pumping his fists in the air.

“YOU FAT LIAR! WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO ANY OF US?!? WHO ARE YOU REALLY?!?!?” Jean screamed at Louis. 

“Jean, calm down,” Louis soothed the mouse but the mouse wouldn’t listen. 

“YOU LIED TO ME. YOU LIED TO MY FAMILY--MY FRIENDS---EVEN YOUR OWN FATHER!!!” Jean continued to scream at Louis.

“Actually, my father knew,” Louis uttered. 

“WHAT?!?” Jean screeched while taking deep breaths.

Louis sighed deeply. “Jean, you can’t tell anyone about this.”

“What-?!”

“Listen to me...if they knew...something bad was going to happen.”

“What do you mean--?!?”

“Listen to me, Jean. Can you listen to me?”

Jean growled and crossed his arms with a pout. 

“There’s a reason behind why I haven’t told any of you about this.”

“And why’s that?” Jean growled a bit.

Louis pondered about what to say while staring softly at Jean. “Because you all didn’t need to be involved between me and those horrible men who took my mother. And yet...here you all are.” 

“What does that suppose to mean?” Jean asked with a raised brow. 

Louis sighed deeply. “You’re all connected to what’s going on. Sam used to work for Jeckles Abbot, who’s partnered with someone unknown. Snerz was part of the operation just to compete with his cronies. Guy befriended Sam...Michellee was in a relationship with Guy. Gluntz was partnered with my father. Goat was traumatized from past experiences with Jeckles Abbot. Michael...I don’t know about him except he befriended Guy and Sam as you did. You get the picture. We’re all connected to this one giant mess of the situation and it brought us together.”

“What on earth are you saying?” Jean interrogated while twitching his round ears in irritation.

“I’m saying that you guys knowing about me...being an assassin will only create more conflict. You’re all connected but you wouldn’t be at risk if you didn’t know about me. More people will die if I don’t stop those men from killing them. If you knew about me being an assassin...you would die. I can’t risk that...for you or anyone else.” 

“Then, how come your father knew about you being an assassin?” 

“Because...he’s-he’s the one who trained me to become an assassin.”

Jean had his eyes bulged out in shock some more. 

~.~ 

Sam fluttered his eyes open, hearing nothing but the waves crashing on the shore. He immediately sat up with a surprised gasp and looked around the shore with the soft sand underneath him. He noticed that he woke up next to Guy, who’s sleeping deeply while his body shivered in the cold. 

Sam didn’t know what to say or ask. He heard someone hopping next to him, which turned out to be the Cat in the Hat. 

“Morning, sleepy beauty,” Cat ignited the conversation while holding a coconut. “How’s your beauty sleep?” 

Sam recovered his head even though he’s not having a headache. He swept his glance around the beach again. “Uh...Cat...where did you take us?”

“That’s---!!! An excellent question. You see, you’re in my fantasy island.”

“Your what?”

“Fantasy island. It’s a place where no one will bother us,” Cat answered while laying between Sam and Guy with a huge smile plastered on his furry face. 

“Does...anyone else live here?”

“Yes...a few people but I kidnap them,” Cat responded abrasively.

“Kidnap?”

“Well...that’s actually the wrong word for it. More like ‘invite’ them into my fantasy.” Cat shifted his glance over his shoulder to notice Guy twitching in his sleep with a soft moan. “My my. I’m surprised your friend is still sleeping.”

“He’s a heavy sleeper,” Sam replied with a sigh at the end. Cat sat up and stood on his feet to examine Guy further. 

“Heavy sleeper, huh? I thought for someone with awesome superpowers don’t get as much sleep,” Cat indicated while gathering a big pile of soft sand. In an instant, the sand turned into a soft fabricated blanket like a magic trick. He tucked Guy in to give him the warmth. Cat gathered another pile of sand and, as soon as he lifted it up, the sand immediately integrated together into a fluffy pillow. 

Sam seemed to question how in the world it could possibly happen while Cat placed the pillow underneath Guy’s head. 

“There we go. Now he’s tucked in. Hopefully, he’ll sleep well,” Cat uttered softly while shifting his glance over at Sam, who seemed surprised by the action. “What?”

“Um...how did you do that?”

“My fantasy island. Remember?” Cat responded with a huge grin back on his face. 

“You’re back!” Both Cat and Sam heard a womanly voice shouted in pure excitement. 

When Sam looked back, he immediately became frozen. Not in fear or recognition. Almost like a bit awestruck. It’s a woman with pink fur and poofy brown curly hair. She had her little purple dress on and she’s about Sam’s height. 

Cat noticed an awestruck look on Sam’s face with a small smirk. “I see that she has caught your attention.” 

Sam shook his head and snapped out of his trance. “Is she...real?”

When the girl approached them, Cat stood by her with a graceful smile. “She’s perfectly created in full form...and perfection.”

Sam widened his eyes in shock and awe a bit. 

“Of course, she’s real!” Cat shouted while laughing at Sam for almost falling for it. 

Sam scratched the back of his head. “Uh...hi.”

“Hi,” The woman spoke in a friendly tone. 

Cat darted his gaze between the two short people. “Sam, this is Gabriella. Gabriella, this is Sam I Am.”

“Sam I Am? Is he the one who tried to steal things from you?” Gabriella, the pink-furred short woman, pointed out.

“We steal things from each other,” Sam answered with a small nervous small chuckle. 

“Why yes, we do,” Cat confirmed Sam’s answer with a simple grin. 

Gabriella giggled at the thought, which made Sam smile a bit for some reason. Cat observed both of them while looking around the beach. 

“Well, I better go find some wood and create...The fire!!! I’ll be right back,” Cat informed dramatically while striding off to find wood. 

“Okay,” Gabriella responded to Cat’s information while facing Sam. 

Sam looked around the area. “So...how did you end up here? Cat didn’t kidnap you...did he?”

“No, he didn’t. He actually found me and took me in. I mean, like a runaway child.”

“Oh...what were you running away from?” Sam asked, curiosity getting the best of him. 

Gabriella sealed her lips a bit, not willing to share her personal life with some stranger who she just met. Which Sam could perfectly understand.

“Oh...sorry. Too personal?” Sam questioned softly. 

“Yeah...but you’re fine,” Gabriella responded with a small smile and a blush. 

Sam smiled softly at Gabriella and gazed at her softly. Suddenly, he heard a moan while turning his head to see Guy twitching in his sleep. 

“Is your friend okay?” Gabriella asked with concern in her tone. 

Sam immediately kneeled beside Guy. “Guy...Guy, come on. Wake up, you’re dreaming.”

_ Guy’s Dream:  _

Guy breathed heavily from being electrocuted for too long. His body began twitching while hearing shouting voices. He’s dragged towards the lone cell where he laid there, cold and alone. 

“H-Help,” Guy uttered, his body trembling. He couldn’t even get up. Something was burning in his palm instantly. Guy observed the mark on his hand but the mark wasn’t just on his hand. It began glowing on his arm, burning it as well. Guy groaned in pain while glancing at his other arm. It’s the same thing happening. The same mark was engraved on his arms. Guy whipped his gaze down at the rest of his body and noticed the same mark engraving itself everywhere on his body. His head fell back down on the cold floor. 

“Wha-what's going on?!” Guy screamed out in pain while feeling his face burning up. His vision began to glitch suddenly, hearing voices from everywhere. 

_ “Who’s going to save you? Who’s going to save you? Who’s going to save you?” _

That phrase repeated itself over and over again, burrowing inside of his mind. Guy pushed himself up to stand on his feet. He suddenly widened his eyes while seeing a pool of blood in the cell. It wasn’t just the blood he’s seeing. He saw Sam, Michellee, and E.B laying in the blood, their insides spilled on the floor. Guy breathed heavily while he could hear their screams for help. He covered his head, his migraine growing within every second. 

_ “Guy...Guy, come on. You’re dreaming, wake up.”  _

“SHUT UP!” Guy shouted while seeing more dead people in the cell with him. It’s McWinkle, Gluntz, Goat, Michael, Jean, and Louis, joining Sam, Michellee, and E.B with their guts scattered on the floor. It began to sickened Guy’s stomach while he looked away. He began to tear up, just seeing his friends’ dead bodies with their guts spilled out made him want to throw up. He kept hearing screams but it wasn’t from him or anyone he knew...it’s from someone else. He couldn’t help but saw the blood slowly rising up in the cell. He knew he’s seeing things but he couldn’t wake up from the bloody dream. 

_ Reality:  _

Sam noticed Guy beginning to gag in his sleep while trying to open his eyes. He shook his friend’s shoulder. 

“Guy! Guy, wake up,” Sam shouted while Gabriella stood beside Guy. 

“Is he feeling sick?” Gabriella asked him while looking around the shore. 

“I don’t know.”

“I have some herbs if that’s the case.” 

“Really?” Sam asked, fascinated.

“Mhm.” Gabriella nodded her head while running through the beach. “I’ll be back!” She passed by Cat, who came back with a questionable look on his face. 

“What’s up with her?” Cat inquired sincerely. 

Sam began to panic a bit. “Guy is gagging...she’s trying to get the herbs just in case he’s getting sick.”

Cat observed Guy groaning and gagging while tossing and turning. “Is he okay?”

“He’s having nightmares...it looks like he’s trying to wake up but couldn’t.”

“Have you tried slapping him?”

“Now is not the time to joke, Cat!” Sam growled while trying to shake his friend’s shoulder. 

“I wasn’t joking.” With that said, there’s an awkward silence. “Here, let me demonstrate.” 

Cat scooched Sam away from Guy and rubbed his gloved hands together.

“I-I don’t think we need a demonstration,” Sam stuttered, shaking his head. 

Cat didn’t listen to him while he tapped on Guy’s cheek. “Guuuuyyy!!! Wakey wakey!” 

Guy groaned while breathing heavily. 

Cat twitched his ears while raising his hand one more time. He then slapped Guy’s cheek harder than last time, causing the orange-furred knox to gasp awake. 

“HA! You’re awake!” Cat laughed while turning to Sam. “See, Sammy...it takes a good slap in the face to wake your--”

Guy immediately bolted away from both Cat and Sam and found a nearby bucket. He began puking into the bucket, which confused both of them. 

“--friend,” Cat finished his sentence with a baffled tone. 

Sam sprinted over by Guy’s side while patting him on the shoulder. “Are you feeling alright, buddy?” 

Guy couldn’t respond while vomiting some more. Sam looked away to not look at what he puked. 

“Get it all out, buddy. Get it all out,” Sam soothed while Guy breathed heavily. Guy continued to hold his head over the bucket, calming his breathing. 

Gabriella approached the scene with a wooden bowl of water that had the green herb inside. “I got the medicine!” 

Cat smiled widely at her. “Gabriella Jones! You brought just what the doctor ordered!” 

Guy and Sam turned to her as Gabriella handed the wooden bowl to them.

“Here, this should make you feel better,” Gabriella insisted softly. Sam smiled gratefully at her and took her wooden bowl to hand to Guy. Guy cupped his hands underneath the bowl and took a sip of the medicine. 

Guy exhaled deeply after drinking the medicine while gazing at the sand. “Thank you.” 

“No problem,” Gabriella spoke with a friendly tone.

Guy looked around the tropical shore with his brow raised. “Wher-Where are we?”

“You’re in Heaven!” Cat pointed out dramatically with a bright grin. 

Guy had his brow raised higher. 

“Just kidding, you’re in Hell,” Cat teased with an exaggerated sigh and lost his bright grin. 

“Cat! Seriously?” Sam scolded a bit in a hushed tone.

“Fine, purgatory,” Cat changed his answer while rolling his eyes. 

Gabriella had her eyes rolled at Cat while shifting her reassuring gaze at Guy. “You are in neither of those places.”

“You’re in a fantasy island,” Sam added with a small smile on his face.

“ **_My_ ** fantasy island. Thank you very much,” Cat corrected Sam. 

Guy nodded his head in understanding while staring off into space, growing some concern from Sam. 

Cat noticed this while plastering a huge grin on his face. “HEY! Why don’t we start a fire and roast some marshmallows? And then make fun of society because of their inglorious idiocy! Let’s go!” 

Cat zoomed off while Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully at her cat friend. She shifted her focus on Sam and Guy with care in her eyes. 

“Is there anything you guys need?” Gabriella inquired softly while gazing into Sam’s eyes. 

Sam simply smiled at her. “No, I don’t think so. Uh...thank you.”

“Are you sure?” Gabriella insisted sweetly.

Guy grinned softly at Gabriella. “Yes, we’re sure. What’s your name? I didn’t catch it.”

“Gabriella,” Gabriella introduced herself. 

“Guy.” Guy was about to extend his hand but then realized that he had just got done puking. “Uh...you wouldn’t want to shake my hand after what happened.”

“We have a sink if you need to wash them,” Gabriella responded while pointing at the isolated sink over by the palm tree in front of them. 

Guy nodded his head in understanding. “Right, thank you.” 

“No problem. Well, if you didn’t need anything, I’ll help Cat make a fire. I’ll see you guys in a bit,” Gabriella replied while waving both Sam and Guy goodbye.

“See you,” Sam uttered, his voice cracked with a light blush on his cheeks.

Guy suddenly shifted his gaze at Sam, catching a bit of a glimpse into Sam’s thoughts. 

_ “She’s kind of cute.”  _

Guy smirked at Sam. “You think she’s cute, huh?”

Sam immediately blushed madly while realizing his best friend could read minds. “Uhhh...pretend you didn’t hear that.”

“What? It’s nothing to be ashamed about,” Guy soothed while smiling softly at Sam. 

“Are you sure about that?”

“How do you think Michellee and I ended up together?” 

“Fair point,” Sam responded, clearing his throat a bit. A sudden concern took over his mind. “Are you doing okay, Guy? You were puking and-and I don’t know if it had to do with your nightmare or whatever is going on.”

Guy lost his playful smirk and gazed down at the sand. There’s a brief pause while he faked a smile. “I’m fine, Sam. Just a little sick. How did we end up here?”

“Cat’s hat is basically a portal...well, it could do more than just open up portals but it’s kind of hard to know what,” Sam explained a bit but he knew Guy was trying to evade the subject. Growing more concerned about Guy’s mental health and to the point where his nightmares just made him puke, Sam became determined to find out what happened in Guy’s dream. 

“You don’t want to know,” Guy uttered randomly, although he already read Sam’s determination through his mind. 

“Come on, buddy. I know that you’ve been having nightmares and it’s concerning to all of us.”

“Us?” 

“Michellee, me, E.B, Goat, Michael, McWinkle, Louis, Gluntz, Jean--”

“Right, right...but you guys don’t have to be concerned for me. I’ll be okay.”

“You keep saying that,” Sam blurted out while his voice became firm but not too firm. “If I were having nightmares and you don’t know what it’s about or what’s going on. What would you do?”

“Well, for one, if I wouldn’t intrude on your privacy if that were the case,” Guy answered, getting a tad bit irritated at Sam’s persistence.

“What would happen if it goes on for more than months or even days? What if I had your powers and I’ve been having hallucinations and nightmares for more than three months? Would you be concerned about me?” Sam asked softly. 

**_Guy paused while trying to think. He knew his friend had a point but he also knew that if Sam saw what he saw...his best friend would regret even asking the question. Guy pondered up a decision whether he should tell Sam or not. Maybe it might help him let out something he’s been holding in. Maybe it’ll make matters worse and probably his nightmares would come at him more often. He had no idea what the consequence will be. He didn’t know if he should tell Michellee about these nightmares. He didn’t want to scare her. And E.B was way too young to even share those gruesome nightmares with her._ **

Guy’s hand trembled a bit, causing Sam to notice it. Sam softly grabbed his friend’s trembling hand and rubbed it to comfort him. 

“S-Sam...I would be concerned about you if you were to have nightmares but...what I saw...I-I can’t explain. You wouldn’t understand,” Guy stuttered, shivering a bit.

Sam scooched closer while smiling softly to his friend. “Then let me understand. Maybe I can help you. Maybe we all can help you.” 

Guy gazed back down at the sand, his eyes seemed pale. “I--I kept having these nightmares. They’re---hard to explain.”

Sam scooched even closer to the point where his knees barely touched Guy’s while leaning a bit forward to listen to what his friend had to say. “Okay. Well, you can tell me about your most recent one. I mean, that way you don’t have to explain them all.” 

Guy wanted to puke again when he thought about his recent but he swallowed and sighed. “It’s...pretty messed up. Are you sure you--?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Guy rubbed his arm nervously. He trusted Sam to take in what’s coming but was afraid that Sam would be twice as confused and maybe scared as him. “The recent one was too bloody...it was about you and pretty much everyone else that we know. Y-You guys were all dead.” 

Guy had tears edged out of his eyes suddenly. Now, thinking back on his recent dream, it was just as horrifying as the other ones. He wiped away the tears leaking out of his eyes. “I-I was trapped in the room with you guys. And--you were all dead.” 

Sam gasped lightly while putting his hand on Guy’s knee to comfort him. He didn’t realize that probing his questions further would make his friend feel worst. “I-I’m sorry I asked.” 

“No--I mean...I--” Guy lost track of all of his words. He couldn’t think about the blood or the bodies and guts spilled in his dream. But he knew this nightmare was telling him something. The thing that troubled him was...what were his dreams trying to tell him? He knew something bad was going to happen to him and his friends but was it inevitable? Or was it easily preventable? 

“You don’t have to go into detail...I mean...were your dreams always about us dying?” Sam asked gently while gazing up at his friend. 

Guy glanced over at Sam with fear in his eyes. “Sometimes. Sometimes it’s about me.”

“What about you?” 

Guy looked at his trembling hand, which had the same round symbol with two snakes making an X mark on his hand before but it’s barely visible. “That, my friend, is a good question. And that’s the one that I don’t know the answer to.” 

~.~ 

Louis and Jean re-entered the bar from the side door. Jean was still pouting from finding out earlier that Louis was an assassin. 

“You gotta keep this a secret for me, Jean. Please...you can’t tell anyone about this,” Louis pleaded a bit while Jean was standing on his shoulder.

Jean exhaled deeply. “Alright. Fine. But somebody is going to know eventually. Somebody like Guy or Sam.” 

“Thank you, Jean. I owe you one,” Louis thanked the mouse while noticing Goat and Michael were dozing off. “Are they--?”

“Drunk. Oui,” Jean responded with a sigh.

“Why?”

“They’re drowning their sorrows, I guess.” 

Both Louis and Jean noticed Gluntz entering the bar with a worried gaze until she noticed both Michael and Goat staring at the painting. 

“Gluntz!” Louis called out while catching up to her. 

Gluntz noticed Louis with a blush but she immediately hid it. “Uh...hey, Louis. What’s going on? What are you doing here?” 

“Detective work...it didn’t turn out to be useful,” Louis answered with a small little white lie. 

Jean discreetly rolled his eyes in annoyance. 

Gluntz approached both Michael and Goat while shaking on their shoulders. “Guys, we need to get to the precinct immediately.”

“What’s the rush? The world is only going to end in five minutes,” Michael spoke drunkenly, his words a slur while collapsing on the counter. 

“No, the world is going to end at five o’clock...somewhere,” Goat uttered while looking down at his empty shot glass. “We need another!” 

“No, you don’t,” Gluntz replied while moving the shot glasses away from Michael and Goat. “You guys have a new case to crack.”

“I thought eggs can be cracked,” Goat pointed out while being buzzed. 

“And cocaine,” Michael added randomly.

“Wait...what’s cocaine?” 

“I don’t know,” the fox answered with a shrug.

Gluntz rolled her eyes at both of the boys while helping Michael up off the barstool. “Come on, we got to go.”

“I’ll help,” Louis volunteered while carrying Goat. 

“Oh boy,” Jean muttered to himself. 

They exited the bar to get into the car parked near the entrance. Gluntz was on the driver’s side while Louis sat on the passenger side with Goat and Michael at the back seat.

“Where are we going? Are we going to Narnia?” Michael asked Gluntz and Louis, his mind not in the right place. 

“OFF TO NARNIA!!!” Goat yelled proudly while Gluntz, Louis, and Jean rolled their eyes at both of the drunk animals.

“There’s no point in taking them to the precinct,” Louis whispered to Gluntz. 

Gluntz shrugged her shoulders. “So, what do we do?” 

“Just have the Big Man email you the case and you should be fine,” Louis suggested. “Do you know where they live, Jean?”

“I have no idea,” Jean answered with a shrug.

“They can stay at my house for the night,” Gluntz volunteered.

“Sounds good.” 

~.~ 

Goat snored lightly in the early morning, his head rested against the pillow while Michael was laying right next to him and sharing a warm blanket with him. Their bodies were laying on the bedroom wooden floor which seemed surprisingly comfortable...or they’re just too hungover from what happened last night to think anything was uncomfortable...wait, weren’t they at the bar?

Goat and Michael unconsciously turned towards each other, almost having their heads bumping against each other. Their bodies were close to each other to the point where they could touch each other. 

Their eyelids opened at the same time with small moans while gaining consciousness. Suddenly, they noticed each other. 

“AAAHHH!!” Michael screamed while scooching back away from Goat and grabbing the blanket on one side to subconsciously cover himself.

“AAAAHHH!!” Goat screeched and pushed himself away from the fox, grabbing the blanket like he’s going to defend himself with it.

“Wha--?!” Jean, who had been sleeping on top of the dresser behind them, yelped in surprise while waking up from his sleep. 

“AAAHHH!!” Both Goat and Michael screamed at Jean while Goat kicked the dresser with his back hoof in quick reaction.

Jean crashed onto the wooden floor with a small grunt. “Ow.” 

Michael glanced around the bedroom while noticing both Goat and him tugging at the blanket. He tossed the blanket over to Goat. “You keep the blanket, man.” 

“Thanks...I guess,” Goat responded while sweeping his gaze around the bedroom. “Uh...where are we?” 

“Oh no!” Michael gasped dramatically while grabbing his own face with pure panic. “We’re kidnapped! I knew getting drunk is a bad idea!” 

“Didn’t you say that you wanted to drown your sorrows?” Goat pointed out to Michael. 

Michael pondered to recall that memory but couldn’t at the moment. “Did I say that?” 

“I don’t know. You were upset and---I can’t remember the rest,” Goat calculated, examining the room. 

Jean stood up to his feet and rubbed his head with a heavy sigh. “I’m surrounded by idiots.” 

Goat and Michael set their glares at the mouse. 

“What the heck happened?! Why are we being kidnapped?!” Michael barked at Jean. 

Jean rolled his eyes. “We’re not kidnapped.”

“Then how the yip did we end up from the bar to the bed---?” Goat paused for a moment with his eyes widening. “Uh...did we--uh--?” Goat clapped his hooves together. 

Michael had no idea what Goat was gesturing. 

Jean had his eye twitch, being on the same boat what Goat was motioning. 

Goat sighed deeply while circling his hooves around each other, confusing both the fox and the mouse even more. 

“What are you even asking, mon ami?” Jean inquired with a raised brow.

Goat rolled his eyes in annoyance and grunted while gesturing Jean to lean in. The mouse leaned in while Goat lowered himself down so that he could whisper to the mouse. 

Michael couldn’t hear what Goat was whispering but all he knew was that Jean had his eyes bulged out while blinking his eyes that seemed to regret asking the question. 

Goat straightened himself back up while the mouse cleaned out his ear. 

“Uh...no. Not at all,” Jean answered with a cleared throat. Then he stifled a little laugh. “Although, that would’ve been epic if that were to happen last night.” 

“But...we didn’t do  **it** . Right?” Goat questioned in reassurance.

“Yeah, you guys didn’t do it,” Jean responded while trying to contain his laughter from imagining whatever silly scenarios that would’ve happened last night.

“Do what?” Michael joined in the conversation. 

Goat glanced at the fox with a light blush while scooching closer to the fox to whisper into his pointy ear. Michael had his eyes bulged out. 

“Uh...why was that your first question, man?” Michael inquired, with a raised brow. 

Goat sighed a bit while whispering in the fox’s ear still. 

Michael had his eyes widened even more. He slowly glanced at Goat while having a look of disbelief. “This usually happens while you’re drunk?”

Goat nodded his head in confirmation.

There’s a brief awkward pause while Michael just took in some information with some thoughtful consideration. 

“Man, you got problems,” Michael pointed out to Goat. 

“You don’t say,” Goat responded while giving a deadpanned stare at the fox for pointing out the obvious. 

“So...what did happen last night?” Michael shifted his attention to Jean. 

Jean cleared his throat from holding in his chortles. “Well, um--.” 

They were suddenly interrupted when someone entered the bedroom. It turned out to be Louis, who had a soft smile of relief on his face and shirtless but he had his long pants on still. Louis used his elbow to lean on the doorway. 

“It’s about time you guys wake up,” Louis responded with a charming smile. 

Both Michael and Goat widened their eyes in shock at Louis’s torso, which was muscular with abs that were covered by his blue fur. 

“Are we at your house?” Goat asked Louis, figuring that the reason why the blue-furred man was walking around the house half-naked. 

Louis glanced down at himself and then back at Goat. “More like at Gluntz’s house.” 

Both of the animals widened their eyes. 

Jean knew what they were both thinking while shaking his head. “No, they did not do it with each other last night.” 

“Oh, okay,” Both Goat and Michael replied with sighs of relief.

Louis raised his brow. “What gave you both the idea?”

“Uh...the fact that you’re shirtless...and hot,” Goat responded while shaking his head at himself in discouragement. 

Michael and Jean nodded their heads in agreement with Goat.

Louis heard footsteps coming up behind him while he turned around to notice Gluntz coming up the stairs. 

“Breakfast is ready--” She stopped herself for a moment to stare at Louis and his bare torso with her cheeks burning up. 

Louis took it as a bad sign while covering himself partially. “Uh...I usually sleep without a shirt on.”

“Uh--it’s no problem. You’re gorgeous...wait, what?” Gluntz caught herself complimenting Louis with a light blush.

Louis just chuckled a bit. “I’ll go change.” 

As soon as he left to go change, Gluntz sighed wistfully while trying to shrug it off. She glanced at the animals, who stared at her and attempting to hold in their laughter.

“You could help him change,” Jean joked at Gluntz, causing her to blush madly. 

Both Goat and Michael stopped with their smiles and glanced at Jean with a deadpan look on their faces.

“Seriously, man?” Michael whispered to Jean. 

Louis came back out but had a white shirt on this time. It had a loose neck collar that one could easily pull down if they were trying to grab him by the collar. 

“Sorry...it’s the only one in the drawer--”

“No, it’s okay. You keep it. I don’t wear often anyways,” Gluntz pointed out while shifting her gaze back at the animals. “You guys have a new case to crack.”

“Since when?” Goat inquired with his brow raised.

“Since last night,” Jean answered for Gluntz. 

Goat furrowed his brow at Jean. “I’m sorry, was I asking you, amigo?”

“Guys, focus,” Gluntz spoke up, catching the three animals’ attention. “This a tough case. Tougher than your previous cases. Are you going to be able to handle that?”

“Yeah, bring it on,” Goat responded, getting cocky.

“Yeah, let’s do it!” Michael cheered although he’s unaware of what the case was. “So...what type of case are we tackling?”

“A mass-murder case,” Gluntz answered seriously. 

The three of the animals went pale suddenly. 

“Come with me,” Gluntz ordered while heading downstairs with Louis following her. Jean climbed on Michael’s shoulder while both Michael and Goat got up on their feet and almost stumbled out of the bedroom with migraines.

Jean noticed this while crossing his arms. “This is what happens when you drink too much.”

“Oh, shut up,” Goat groaned a bit while the animals headed downstairs into the kitchen where Gluntz and Louis were. 

Gluntz got out the tablet while Goat and Michael sat down on the wooden chairs of the kitchen. 

“So...what’s up with the mass murderer?” Michael asked Gluntz with a bit of curiosity in his tone. 

Gluntz opened her tablet with a soft gaze. “He’s known...as the Biologist.” 

“The--what?” Goat questioned, raising his brow.

“The Biologist.”

Goat, Michael, and Jean let out their chortles a bit. 

“I’m sorry...the Biologist?” Michael laughed a bit.

Gluntz nodded her head with a stern gaze at the animals. “After this video, you won’t be laughing so much.”

She turned on the video that displayed a purple-furred strapped onto the lab table, screaming out for help.

“Please! Don’t kill me! Please!” The man screamed out while there’s someone in the darkness. It’s a short man...but not as short as Sam. He had a white lab coat that was stained with blood. He didn’t exactly have hands though. One hand was a small saw blade while the other one was a claw. 

The maniac's breathing became unsettling for the animals to watch. The short man in the lab coat started his saw blade while the man tied down began screaming.

“Wait! Wait! I’m not--!” 

The saw edges dug deep into the man’s skin, letting pieces of flesh and sprinkles of blood flying everywhere. The man cried out bloody murder while his insides were being pushed out slightly.

This sickened Michael to his core, his stomach doing the flips from seeing the bloody display. 

Goat had his eyes widened with surprise while Jean covered his eyes.

The purple-furred man stopped screaming while laying on the metal table lifelessly. The short maniac took his saw blade out of the man’s body and stuck his claw on his insides, making squishy sounds. 

Louis and Gluntz had their eyes widened at the situation, even though they’re the ones giving the animals the case. 

The five of them witnessed the short maniac in the video pulling out a heart belonging to the dead man while glaring at the camera. That’s when the video ended. Jean scurried off of Michael while standing between the fox and the goat. 

Michael immediately ran into the bathroom and puked from seeing too much gore in the video.

“I’m sorry...what gave you the idea that we can handle this case?” Goat asked while raising his brow. 

“I did not think there’s going to be gore in this video,” Gluntz responded with her teeth clenched. 

“You don’t say,” Jean replied with a heavy breath. 

“When are we tackling this case?” Goat inquired. 

“Now,” Gluntz answered while rubbing her arm nervously.

_**To Be Continued...** _


	4. The Huntdown

_**Episode Four: The Huntdown!** _

_Flashback: Forty-five years ago:_

The light blue-furred woman with fluffy cheeks ran through the forest in the late stormy night, barefoot, cold, and alone. She's running from something in the distance behind her. Ignoring the shouting voices, she refused to submit to their wishes. She had to keep running, no matter how much the twigs and the sharp rocks underneath her feet hurt. She finally reached towards the fence, stumbling into it with her fingers intertwined with the wires.

"Don't take another step, Sara," A voice called from behind her.

Sara turned her head to look at the group chasing after her, her blue hair covering half of her face. She turned to face them and backed up towards the fence, as the guns were raised up to aim at her.

"You must return home. You can't escape the voices telling you your fate," One of the men, who's skinny and scrawny and had a soothing voice, informed sternly. He appeared to be a priest of some sort with the cursed symbol hung onto his small chain necklace. That cursed symbol with the circle and two snakes crossing each other.

Sara shook her head, backing up against the fence further. Her fingers were holding the wires tighter to the point where it stung a bit in her fingers and palms holding it.

"You belong here, Sara. You always have," The man replied soothingly again while stepping forward, almost like he's taming a scared wild animal.

Sara covered her head from the voices telling her to go back, but she refused to listen to them. "Leave me alone...Leave me alone."

"You must listen to the voices...you can't deny what they are telling you," The man uttered, continuing to walk forward until they noticed headlights coming from the side on the other side of the fence. "The Outsiders...we must flee at once!"

Sara glanced at the upcoming headlights, looking at it with only hope. She threw dirt into the men's eyes and began climbing over the fence quickly.

"She's going towards the Outsiders! Shoot her down!" The man shouted his order but she flopped over the fence and landed on her side. She picked up her pace and began running towards the street until a bullet crashed onto her shoulder. She yelped in pain and collapsed in the middle of the street, where an oncoming vehicle screeched to a sudden stop before it could hit her.

"Don't shoot anymore! Run!" The man barked his orders as the men, who were chasing after her, retreated back within the forest.

Meanwhile, Sara held her hands up, her body trembling in fear. Someone came out of the car and left the door open.

"Are you alright?" Sara noticed someone kneeling beside her. It's a big blue-furred man. But...attractive. Sara shivered in the cold as the stranger placed his big bulky cowboy black hat on her head to cover it from the pouring rain. "Come on, let's get you to the hospital."

The man guided her to the red car and let her sit on the passenger side. He got in his car and drove off to the nearest hospital to help her.

Sara shivered still while the man turned the heater on in the car.

"Is that better?" the man asked her gently and soothingly.

Sara began to feel warm and the voices inside of her head died down. She nodded her head slowly, however, the hat covered her eyesight, leaving her in the dark. Sara gasped lightly, remembering the darkness that she had to face back at what she used to call home. She began to tremble in fear as the man lifted the hat off of her head and placed it on the dashboard in front of her.

"We'll put it back on once we get you to the Glurfsburg hospital," the man replied gently, despite the fact of not understanding why she's trembling.

Sara glanced up at the man and got a better look at him. He had the softest eyes that she ever gazed into and a funny mustache that blended perfectly with his blue fur. He appeared to be concerned about her which never happened before.

"What's your name?" The man asked softly, tilting his head slightly to make some kind of contact with her pale eyes.

"S-Sara." Sara finally spoke up, her voice hoarse.

The man smiled softly at her. "Nice to meet you."

"Y-your name?" Sara pointed at the man.

"Oh...right. It's McWinkle. That's my name," the man, McWinkle, introduced with a small blush in embarrassment.

They finally arrived at the hospital as McWinkle parked near the emergency room. Sara gazed at the building with wonder while McWinkle put his cowboy hat on his head and turned off the car.

He got out the car with the car door opened, half thinking that she's going to get out of the car with him. But McWinkle noticed Sara looked at him cluelessly.

"You can get out of the car too, you know," McWinkle pointed at the door handle for the car door beside her.

Sara gazed at the little pin that was sticking up. She pressed it down and it made a clicking sound. She became intrigued by it as if it's a new thing for her.

She lifted it back up only to press it down again.

McWinkle immediately became confused when she kept doing it. "That's to lock and unlock the door."

Sara raised her brow while staring at McWinkle with confusion. She continued to stare at the pin with awe. She pushed it back down and pulled the door handle but she found the door to be locked, confusing her more.

McWinkle pressed the unlock button on his keys as the pin popped up in front of her automatically. She jumped back a bit while glancing back at him.

He smirked a bit while holding up his keys. Sara tilted her head in confusion.

McWinkle lost his smirk. "Let me help you out of the car."

McWinkle walked to the other side of the car and opened the door for her. He held his hand out to guide her out gently. Sara examined McWinkle's hand.

"Your hand is big," Sara pointed out with a small smile.

McWinkle chuckled a bit. "I won't crush your hand, I promise."

Sara softly smiled up at him and grabbed his hand with her bruised palms. He noticed while gazing at her palms.

"What happened to your hands?" McWinkle asked, concern taking over his voice again.

Sara silenced herself, lowering her head down.

He could tell that she didn't want to answer that question. "Let's take care of that shoulder first. Come on."

Sara looked over at her injured shoulder. Luckily, the bullet only got the top part of her shoulder but the bullet was stuck in her shoulder. McWinkle and Sara entered the emergency door where there were gleaming white halls around them. They entered the waiting room and up to the lady at the front desk, who's wearing a white lab coat. Sara gasped while hiding behind McWinkle, her mind being taken back from when she witnessed a group of men in white coats back in her village...what they had done to her and someone else she knew from back at the village she ran away from.

"I found this woman shot in the shoulder on the side of the road. Could we get the doctors to tend to her wound?" McWinkle requested urgently.

"Of course. What's her name?" The lady pointed at Sara behind McWinkle.

McWinkle turned his head to notice Sara hiding behind him, with a small blush. "Her name is--"

"NO!" Sara shouted while clutching behind McWinkle.

"No?" the lady questioned with a raised brow. "That's her name?"

McWinkle shook his head while turning to Sara. "Is everything okay?"

"We got to get out of here," Sara uttered, her eyes widening while glancing around the room with full panic.

The lady noticed Sara's injured shoulder. "We can get the doctors right away and take a look at her shoulder. Give us a few minutes."

"Uh...okay," McWinkle responded while the lady sped towards the back room. He and Sara sat down while her hands began to tremble.

"What's going on?" McWinkle asked again softly.

"Don't let them take me...they are going to--they are going to--"

"Shh, calm down. It's okay. They're not going to hurt you. The doctors just want to help you."

Sara began to have tears edging out of her eyes. "A-Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. They're not here to hurt you. They want to help you. Like how I want to help you."

There's a pause while Sara still trembled.

"I promise, they're only here to help. Whatever happened to you back there...it won't happen here. You don't have to afraid," McWinkle guaranteed, his tone soft.

_**Deep down, McWinkle could tell that something must have traumatized the girl he rescued to the point where she would hide behind him. He had no idea what it was that traumatized her but that's less important to him. All he's concern about was her wound and health. Nothing else matters right now. It's part of his job...but he wasn't so sure if that's because of his job that he had that mindset.** _

_**He thought about leaving her in the hospital but seeing how she reacted when she saw the lady in a labcoat caused him to think that maybe he should stay behind in case she needed any help. McWinkle gazed into her eyes and he knew he made the right choice to stay...** _

_**Little did he know, the small act of kindness would affect his and Sara's lives greatly. Even Louis's life.** _

~.~

_Present: Forty-five years later._

E.B fell asleep on the passenger side with Michellee driving through the country road through the beautiful night. Michellee parked her car out by the curb in front of the nice quaint two-story house that was a neat bed and breakfast place. She turned off the ignition and unbuckled her seatbelt until she glanced over at E.B's sleeping figure.

As a mother, Michellee could just stare at her baby girl sleeping all night but they need to get in the house. She nudged on E.B's shoulder gently.

"Come on, sweetie. We're here," Michellee whispered soothingly, causing the little girl to flutter her eyes open.

E.B noticed that they're at the bed and breakfast place. "Is this the same place where that old lady was watching the grass grow?"

"Yep! That's the place. You gotta admit that this is a nice place," Michellee responded while smiling at her daughter.

"I guess it's better than nothing," E.B responded with a shrug. Both the mother and the daughter got out of the car and headed inside the bed and breakfast place.

The older yellow furred lady with white hair in a bun and wrinkles covering her face noticed them coming up to them at the front desk. "Are you two staying for a night?"

"Yes, we are," Michellee responded while getting out her purse to take her wallet out.

E.B glanced around the place. "Are you still watching the grass grow?"

"Of course, you'd be surprised at how tall the grass could reach," The old lady replied with a giggle.

Michellee took out a few brunkels so that she and her daughter could stay for the night.

The lady handed her the key to the room they'll both be staying. "Enjoy your stay, ladies."

"Thank you," Michellee responded while guiding her daughter upstairs and into their rooms.

Unknowingly, McWinkle entered after they went upstairs, not noticing that both Michellee and E.B were even here.

"Hey, it's the retiree. Are you here to stay for a vacation?" The lady questioned the big blue furred man.

"Yep. It's just for the week though," McWinkle requested.

"You got it, big fella." The lady handed McWinkle the key while he exchanged a few brunkels to pay for his stay. "Enjoy your vacation."

"I hope I will," McWinkle responded with a gentle smile but it faded quickly while he headed into the room beside the stairs and closed the door.

~.~

Michellee and E.B began unpacking their stuff in the nice big bedroom.

"Mom, where are you taking me? I mean, I know that this is a trip for both of us, excluding the boys. But...where are you taking me?" E.B asked her mother with curiosity taking over her voice.

Michellee smirked playfully at her daughter. "It's supposed to be a surprise."

E.B groaned a bit. "Mom...is it going to be someplace...boring?"

_**Michellee giggled, remembering the moments where she took her daughter to someplace the opposite of a fun place but it wasn't on purpose...she didn't want her daughter going on those dangerous rides or get injured during a family car ride. However, it's not a carnival or someplace fun like that she's taking her daughter to. But it's something meaningful to her and she wanted her daughter to see it.** _

"No. But it might mean something to you," Michellee answered with a small grin.

"To me?" E.B began to become curious about what her mother meant.

"Yep. I mean, it meant something to me--"

"Are we going to the art gallery?! Where there might be more of your paintings?!" E.B squealed in excitement.

Michellee was surprised that E.B would be excited to see her mother's old paintings. "Oh, no, no, no. Better. I'll give you a hint. It's somewhere in Whoville."

"Whoville? Hmm," E.B responded while pondering about the place. "I've never been to WhoVille before."

"Oh come on, you studied it before in school, haven't you?" Michellee asked teasingly.

"Well, yeah...and...wait--" E.B thought up of something but then realized. "Is it that time of year again?"

"It's not Christmas yet--"

"People down at Whoville still get prepared for it in the upcoming year," E.B responded. "It's going to be crowded."

Michellee sighed deeply while keeping that smile on her daughter. "Well, another hint is that it has nothing to do with Christmas."

E.B shrugged her shoulders. That meant that she had to wait till she got there to see what the surprise her mother wanted to show her.

"Nevermind. I give up," E.B groaned but it's mostly to herself.

Michellee chuckled a bit. "It's going to be worth it. I promise."

Michellee cupped her daughter's face and pecked a kiss on her forehead. E.B smiled giddily while looking around the room.

"Is it okay if I can go out and explore?" E.B asked her mother, having the urge to explore the place rather than watching the grass grow.

Michellee twisted her mouth, appearing hesitant at first. She didn't want her daughter to be kidnapped like what happened back when the Ghosts were kidnapping her and hurting her. She couldn't stand letting her daughter get kidnapped and hurt by anyone again.

"Honey, I would rather you stay here and watch the grass grow with somebody like the old lady at the front desk," Michellee answered softly. "I-I couldn't let you get kidnap again. You do remember what happened three months ago, right?"

"I know, but that's over, Mom. Jeckles had been taken care of and the Ghosts are not going to come out of the shadows anymore," E.B explained to her mother but not arguing.

"I know...but I want you to be careful, sweetie. Okay?" Michellee answered to E.B's explanation.

_**As much as E.B wanted to explore what's around the place, she knew her mother would be just as worried if she's gone too long. She did remember being kidnapped by the Ghosts and getting hurt. As much as she loved having a treehouse, she wouldn't dare climb up to it at night. She's too afraid that if she hid in her treehouse or even come out of it at night, something would grab her from the shadows and put her in a bag. She's even afraid of going into the sewers because down there...it felt like she's buried down there while getting punched left and right so that her parents could see what they're doing to her. Just to scare her parents but never had the assassins realized...or maybe they did...that it inflicted much pain on E.B.** _

E.B sighed deeply while gazing into her mother's concerned eyes and nodding her head in understanding. "Okay, Mom. I'll be careful."

"Okay, honey. I'll join you in a minute."

"Are you sure, Mom--?"

"Of course, sweetie. Just stay with the lady for now," Michellee instructed while unpacking more things.

"Okay." E.B headed out to watch the grass grow with the old lady, although she didn't seem excited.

Michellee sighed deeply while a few tears slipped out of her eyes. She shook them away and took out a photo of her holding E.B and standing next to her first husband. He had short red hair and tanned fur...just like E.B except E.B got her mother's wild hair. She caressed her husband's face with a gentle smile.

"I'm doing just fine, Bill. E.B is doing fine too," Michellee talked to her photograph, even though her husband wasn't there. "I'm a bit worried about Guy but I know he'll be okay." Her heart melted when she got to see her husband smiling in the photo. She began to have the inspiration for what she could draw and it's for her daughter to see. She got out her blank paper and colored pencils to draw. Michellee thought about what to draw first and her hand drifted across the paper.

~.~

Meanwhile, E.B watched the grass with the old lady, bored out of her mind. She couldn't just sit there and watch grass all day. She heard squawking noises, causing her to snap awake and look around the place. She noticed a black truck parked discreetly behind the place. She saw a wooden big wooden crate placed behind the truck with the back opened. E.B turned to the old lady.

"Excuse me, if my mother asked where I am, tell her I'm not far from here. Please," E.B requested politely.

"Of course, dear. Oh look, now Timmy is catching up to Johnny," The old lady pointed at the one string of grass growing next to the taller one.

E.B nodded her head. "Okay then."

She began to make her way towards the crate and hid behind it to make sure there's not anyone spotting her. She opened the crate barely due to her height and quietly pushed the lid on the other side without making colliding noises. She hopped on the edge of it to notice three baby chickeraffes cowering themselves in the dark corner out of fear.

"It's okay. Shh, I won't hurt you," E.B soothed the babies as she hopped down to see them. "How did you end up here?"

The baby chickeraffes warbled quietly while E.B extended her hand out to show that she's not going to hurt them. At first, the babies seemed hesitant to go near her. But then, one of them waddled up to her and sniffed her hand. The chickeraffe widened its eyes and licked the girl's hand, causing E.B to giggle. The other chickeraffes saw this with a gleam in their eyes and hopped on the little girl to lick her like they found their new 'mommy'.

"Aww, you guys are so cute. Come on, let's get you out of this crate," E.B determined while cupping her hands so that one of the chickeraffe babies could hop into her palms. She lifted one out of the crate while the baby jumped onto the grass. She lifted the other two out of the crate while the babies wandered around. By the time she was about to get out, the lid closed on her suddenly.

She gasped while covering her mouth.

"Those baby chickeraffes are useless to us. We have the adult chickeraffe now," She heard a gruff voice speaking from outside of the crate.

"What do we do with them?" Another voice asked.

"Shoot them."

"No," E.B slipped out a little too loudly but it's a little too late when she heard quiet shots and whimpered squawks. And then silence.

E.B's heart stopped when she couldn't hear the little warbling from the babies anymore.

"What's in the crate?" One voice pointed out.

When the crate was lifted, E.B leaped out onto one of the bulky men in black suits. She scurried away from them to get to the old lady before bumping into another one in between her and the old lady. The man immediately grabbed her by the arm.

The old lady was surprised to see E.B trying to get away from those humongous men. "What are you doing with that young lady?!"

~.~

Michellee heard the commotion from outside. She stuffed her recent drawing in her pocket inside of her purple sweater and immediately peeked out the window to see the old lady charging towards someone unfamiliar. Before her eyes, she saw the lady got shot in the head, blood splatting on the floor.

"Mom!" Michellee heard her child calling out while rushing down the stairs, unknowingly passing by McWinkle's room, who heard the commotion as well.

Michellee, like an enraged mother bear protecting her cub, charged towards the man who grabbed her daughter. Before the man got to reload his gun, Michellee leaped onto the muscular man and pulled his ears to make him let go of her daughter.

"Let go of my daughter! Do you hear me?!" Michellee growled while the man yanked her off of him, causing her head to crash onto the wooden floor. She almost blacked out from the force and the hit. The man had the gun pointed at Michellee, but E.B bit down on the man's hand like a wild animal. The man screeched while covering the girl's mouth. There's a sudden gunshot while the other men glanced up just in time to see McWinkle with his own pistol and a snarl.

"Handle the big man! I'll take the girl!" The man, who was carrying E.B, shouted while running back to the black vehicle and tying E.B up.

"Let me go!" E.B barked until the man covered her mouth and threw her in the crate.

The two other men noticed Michellee laying on the floor, barely conscious.

"Take the mother too!" One of the men pointed out while McWinkle fired his shot, with a bullet crashing into one of the men's shoulders. The man fired his shot from his rifle, almost hitting McWinkle but McWinkle ducked beside the wooden porch. The man sprinted towards Michellee and knocked her out with the back of the rifle. Michellee blacked out as the black truck, that held E.B inside, drove away from the scene.

~.~

McWinkle perked his head up and fired his pistol at the man, who's about to grab Michellee. The bullet crashed into the side of the man's skull with blood splat out a little. The man with the injured shoulder aimed his gun at McWinkle, but McWinkle shot him instantly. McWinkle held up his gun at the fleeing black truck but the truck disappeared into the dark. However, the big blue furred man knew which direction it's going.

He immediately approached Michellee. "Michellee...Michellee. Are you awake?"

Michellee was still passed out while McWinkle noticed a dark vehicle driving up to the old place. He immediately looted the man beside Michellee and grabbed his rifle. McWinkle checked to make sure it's loaded, smiling to see that it's just enough to fight off the men approaching the house.

There were four men in the vehicle to be exact. One of them manned the machine gun on top of the car while three of the men strode out of the car and pointed their guns at McWinkle. McWinkle turned his head to see Michellee and picked her up. He lifted her over the open window so that she could be safe. Knowing that she's safe in the house, McWinkle turned back to the men with an angry glare.

"Rejoice! For there will be mercy upon your miserable life. Surrender yourself along with the abominable woman you sought to protect," One of the men, who appeared like a priest with a necklace that held the symbol. However, McWinkle didn't pay too much attention to the symbol. 

"Abominable woman? Who are you calling an abominable woman?" McWinkle spoke up, readying his rifle.

"That woman you placed inside! She's a wanted criminal!"

"What crime did she commit?"

The priest held out a piece of paper that had the picture of the familiar orange-furred Knox with the brown crumpled hat. "She an outsider just like him! And she's with him!"

"What does that have to do with anything?!" McWinkle interrogated while stepping off the wooden porch.

"We heard about this Outsider with amazing and extraordinary powers! If he doesn't join us, everyone he loves will die! If he does, we'll spare them! However, he might need a little more persuasion."

"What kind of persuasion?"

"Surrender yourself and the woman or there will be consequences," the priest declared again. "Rejoice! Death is not the end!"

"You people are mentally insane!" McWinkle shouted with his brows furrowed. He cocked his rifle back and raised it to aim at the priest.

"Kill him!" The priest ordered.

McWinkle shot the man manning the machine gun in the skull first while the other guns from the men fired at him. He quickly dodged them as one of the men charged at him. McWinkle defended himself while noticing the priest manning the machine gun. He aimed at McWinkle but McWinkle used the man wrestling with him as a shield. The priest fired the gun, hoping to hit the big blue-furred man. But it only hit the man trying to wrestle with McWinkle. The other man pointed his gun at McWinkle but McWinkle aimed his rifle at him and shot him before he could take a shot. He then thrusted the dead man on top of him at the priest, which knocked him off of the machine gun. The priest collapsed on the cement road by the car.

McWinkle strolled up towards the priest and stepped on his wrist before the priest could reach for the handgun in front of him. He kicked the handgun away from the priest with a deadly glare and pointed his rifle at the priest's head.

"Where are your men taking the little girl?" McWinkle growled his question.

The priest giggled a bit. "The little girl...belonging to that Outsider...the whispers will know what to do with her."

"Whispers? What are you talking about?"

"Only the ones who followed them will understand the voices spoken to them."

McWinkle growled while pressing the rifle against the priest's head. "Save your preaching for another day. Where are you taking the little girl?"

"She'll serve a greater purpose if you let her go." The priest flicked his wrist off from underneath McWinkle's foot. McWinkle still had his rifle pointed at the priest, who scurried back from him.

"You're not answering my question. If I had to ask one more time--" McWinkle cocked his rifle again to make a clicking sound. "You'll know what comes next."

"I see that you're aggressive. You want to get straight to the point...but you aren't fully aware that your question will lead to complex answers. You aren't willing to see beyond what you see in front of you. You aren't willing to see what's beyond nature. And you'll never get to."

The priest had the knife out. Before McWinkle took action to either defend himself or question what the priest was doing, the priest slit his own throat with the sharp knife and blood trickling down his neck. He collapsed to his side while laughing quietly.

The priest gave a cocky grin at McWinkle, who seemed horrified at what he's seeing. "I already know where I belong. The question is, Outsider...where do you belong?"

The priest's final breath was drawn and he laid on the street, dead. McWinkle blinked his eyes twice before realizing what he's seeing was real. He slowly approached the dead priest's body and poked him with his rifle. He lightly nudged the priest over to his back with his foot. He noticed the necklace again and ripped it off of the priest. His eyes immediately broadened when he saw the familiar symbol.

The one that had the circle with two snakes crossing each other in it. 

McWinkle stuffed the necklace down in his pocket and strapped the rifle to carry it over his shoulder. He looked around the place to make sure they're in the clear. He walked over into the bed and breakfast place and examined Michellee inside of the house. He placed the back of his big hand against her forehead to make sure she's okay. Luckily, she's just unconscious right now. He knew what he had to do...what they both had to do. They had to find E.B before something terrible was going to happen to her.

~.~

Louis gazed into the symbol closely, not having any idea what it means. He's in a library in Glurfsburg in the early evening. As he scanned the pages that delved into its originality, he saw someone in the corner of his eyes. When he glanced up, he noticed Gluntz setting her coffee cup down on the wooden table beside her and holding a file in her hand. She had her normal cap on and picked out a book to read. She seemed in a trance to not notice Louis gazing at her. She set the book down and opened the first page of the book, reading to herself quietly.

He could watch her focused on the book all day, which distracted him from what he's doing before she came in.

Gluntz glanced up just in time for Louis to gasp a bit and focus back on the pages he's examining.

"Hi, Louis," Gluntz whispered loudly so that Louis could hear her with a small friendly wave.

Louis blushed a bit but it subsided. "Hey, Gluntz. How are you doing?"

Gluntz sighed a bit. "Well, I'm in this new case. I just investigated a crime scene and...well, it doesn't look easy."

"How do you mean?"

Gluntz gestured Louis to sit next to her, which caused his heart to race. Louis shook his head and sat by her closely so that he could see what's she's looking at.

"Snerz escaped just a few nights ago and...well, there's something like this." Gluntz showed him a picture of dead guards with blood-stained on the floor and the walls.

"Oh man," Louis responded with a soft exhale.

Gluntz showed him another picture of other dead guards. "This just appeared after we got the security cameras back online."

"Do you mean that someone hacked into them?"

"Yeah. All we heard were shouts and screams and small talk but that's about it."

"What's the small talk? Who is it in between?"

Gluntz shrugged her shoulders. "We know that one of them is definitely Snerz but...we don't know who the other voice is. And...we only had this as a conversation."

She took out a recorder and played the tape.

 _"I see that you are looking for a new business partner, am I right?"_ They heard Snerz questioning whoever was rescuing him.

 _"I believe we need more work than what it seems,"_ They heard a mysterious stranger answer _. "Jeckles is dead. They removed one snake head."_

_"But if that snake's head is chopped up...it could regrow...right?"_

_"The heads will be doubled...that's for sure," the man responded._

_"So...when will we start?"_

_"Now."_

Then there's a sound of a sawblade cutting through walls in the tape and then it ended.

"What snake are they talking about?" Louis muttered the question, mostly to himself.

"I didn't know snakes could regrow heads," Gluntz responded with an awestruck voice.

"I think they're aiming for it metaphorically."

Gluntz sighed deeply. "You know what the worst part is...you don't get to do this with a partner--"

Suddenly, an idea sparked in her brain.

"Wait, you can be my partner!" Gluntz proposed with an excited smile.

"What?"

"Yeah, you're a detective, aren't you?" Gluntz recalled excitedly.

Louis nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am."

"You can be my partner!"

"Well, I don't work with the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S force--"

"It doesn't matter. We could solve this case together...if-if you want to," Gluntz stuttered in her last sentence, rubbing her arm nervously.

_**Louis gave thought about it. He was investigating this weird symbol that had the snakes crossing over each other like an X mark. Maybe they both could tackle this case together. After all, they both had the same case...just different objectives.** _

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea to be partners. I think I got something that might help us," Louis responded with a soft smile.

"Yay!" Gluntz cheered with a big goofy grin on her face.

~.~

The fire in the fire pit was blazing controllably while Cat, Sam, Guy, and Gabriella sat around the fire and roasting marshmallows, laughing amongst themselves in the lone island known as Cat's Fantasy Island.

"That's a fun story," Gabriella pointed out while giggling at Sam's story about the time where he and Guy met and were on the run to get the chickeraffe home.

"Yeah, and we've been best friends ever since!" Sam inferred to Guy, who's smiling softly at him.

"Also to note that it's hectic as well," Guy added with a small laugh.

Cat gasped dramatically while putting his elbow on his knee and resting his chin on his palm. "Taking care of an animal must have been hard for you."

"Eh, at first. It gets easier once you know what you're doing," Guy responded. "Just a little easier."

Sam smiled brightly. "As we know, Mr. Jenkins is safe back home on Chickeraffe island."

"Aren't those nearly extinct?" Cat inquired with a raised brow.

"According to resources, there are about seventeen chickeraffes left in the world," Gabriella indicated, which made Cat smiled.

"What resources do you get that information from?" Guy questioned.

"The library," Gabriella answered with a small smile.

"Library?" Both Guy and Sam responded simultaneously.

Suddenly a library building popped in front of four of them from the ground, causing the shore to shake. Cat opened the big library doors and showed all the books from the bottom to the highest shelves that reached the ceilings.

Cat gestured the library dramatically. "The Library. Also known as the 'Core of Knowledge'."

"How did you...do that?" Guy pointed at the library building behind him.

"It's part of his mind," Gabriella analyzed. "He's able to form things through his mind like libraries and towns and beaches and sorts. But...never people. Don't ask me why."

"Huh," Guy responded while pondering.

"Step right inside--would you, could you eat green eggs and ham in the library?" Cat asked with a purr.

"Uh...yes, I would," Sam responded with a bit of excitement

Gabriella giggled at Cat's joke and Sam's response, which made Sam smile a bit at her. Guy noticed this while giving his briefcase buddy a teasing smirk. The four of them walked into the library.

Sam rolled his eyes and his blush subsided.

"What types of books do you have?" Guy asked, enlarging his eyes in shock.

"Hmm...let's see," Cat pondered while examining the books. He waved his hand and the tall ladder appeared in front of him. He climbed up to the highest shelf on one side and began nitpicking the books.

"Hmm, _Fifty Shades of Grey_ ," Cat notified with a smirk. "Last time I heard, there were two hundred and fifty-six shades of grey. So does every shade of color out there. Apparently, someone needs to do more research."

Cat tossed the book and the book crashed onto the wooden table in front of Guy, Sam, and Gabriella.

Cat pulled out another book. "Hmm... _The Hunger Games_. A book about slaughtering teens and dystopian Communist government. Apparently, within this chaos, there's a love triangle going on. What a cliche."

Cat threw the other book back behind him and pulled out another book. "Oooh! Lookey there! A vampire love story...how toxic. The reason why this girl is ever in love with this vampire dude was that he likes to stalk her. I guess some girls like their stalkers."

Cat dropped the book while noticing an orange book. "Look, it's the Lorax! He speaks for the trees! He's saying, 'All trees are humans...if they are cut down, they will be nothing but shreds of paper or just simple firewood to keep us warm'! Pfft, please."

Cat tossed the book aside.

While Cat was searching and naming more books, Guy instantly regretted asking what type of books he had.

However, Sam noticed a golden book on the lower shelf and slowly took it out. He saw the front cover that had the symbol engraved on it. The unfamiliar symbol of a circle with two snakes crossing each other. He opened it and examined it.

The first thing he saw on the first page was the list of names. Names he wasn't familiar with. Gabriella suddenly noted that Sam was gazing into the golden book.

"Sam...that book is off-limits," Gabriella whispered to Sam, which Guy heard and noticed Sam reading the golden book.

Sam immediately glanced up at her with a raised brow. "Why?"

Cat saw this too and slid down the ladder to get back with his group. "Because that book has cult and rituals that were...pretty bad...like Rated R bad. Why don't we put that one away before you read further into it, hm?"

Cat snatched the book out of Sam's grasp and shoved it back to its place.

"Then, why do you have it?" Guy questioned. "If you could make these things out of pure imagination in your own mind, then why is that book there?"

Cat shrugged his shoulders. "I thought it was interesting at the time...but...I instantly regretted keeping it. Whatever thing you read, sometimes it doesn't go away that easy. That's why it's on the lowest shelf in the whole library and...mostly off to the side. Why don't we sleep for the night? Maybe tomorrow, we could explore what's going on with the maddening world we live in." 

Cat guided the three of them out of the library. Guy stared back at the golden book from the side, pondering about why the book would be here. What was that book about and why does he have a feeling like he should read it? Those answers couldn't be solved when the library doors shut quickly behind them.

~.~

Within the starlight night, the fire was put out and the waves crashing into the shore as the only sound that was heard. Gabriella slept on the beach comfortably while Sam slept between her and Guy.

Guy had his back turned on both Sam and Gabriella, clenching his teeth in agony. His eyes were squeezed tight while tossing and turning on the bed of sand.

_Guy's Dream:_

Guy was shaking and laying on the reeky bed of a cold dark cell. He was too paralyzed to stand up and walk anywhere. He heard screams from someone else but he didn't know who. The screams continued on louder and louder, screaming out for help. Guy had the urge to get up and see who was it calling for help but he--he couldn't. Something was holding him down. When he gained his vision, he noticed that he's strapped down on the bed with the chains. The more he listened to the screams, the more the screams became familiar.

Help! Someone help me!" Guy heard Sam's pleading and desperate voice calling out to him.

"Sam?" Guy muttered while struggling to get off the bed with the chains tied around his body. "SAM!"

"Help me!" Sam shouted from outside of Guy's door.

"Sam! Sam! I'm right here!" Guy screamed while hearing the water running. He glanced down to realize that the water was flooding the room he's in.

The water was slowly rising towards the bed, causing him to breathe in panic. He thrusted his body against the chains to get up from the bed but he couldn't get out of them. Guy kept looking back down to see if the flood was rising any further as his orange furred arms were touched by the cold water.

"Sam!" Guy cried out while the water washed over his body. He held his breath in as his face was buried underneath the water. He kept throwing his body against the chains to get out of them but he began to lose his ability to hold his breath in. He exhaled with bubbles forming out of his mouth. The water traveled inside of his lungs, suffocating him more.

Guy screamed in the underwater, his insides burning from using his vocal cords to scream out for help. He's still chained to the bed, slowly passing out. His eyelids became heavy. He gave in by closing his eyes and let his body be tied down on the bed.

It's sudden that he felt the weight of the chains off of him. He's floating upwards, which he couldn't have any idea of whether it's towards the surface or towards the deep bottom of the water.

As soon as Guy popped his head out of the water, he gasped heavily to regain his breath while snapping his eyelids open immediately. He panted while whipping his head around in pure panic. He crawled out of what he could assume was a pond and his hands began to tremble. He stared down at the cold dirt and then moved his head to realize that he's in the foggy forest. He slowly stood up to his feet and shivered from the coldness around him.

"H-Hello?!" Guy stuttered while trying to boom his voice in the forest. "I-Is anyone here?! Can somebody help me?!"

His body shivered while noticing a few tears slipping out from his eyes.

_**There were so many questions racking his brain. He knew that this was just a nightmare but he couldn't help but wonder if they're even real. He kept having them over and over again. They have to mean something, right?** _

Guy walked through the dark misty forest, with anxiety and fear in his eyes. He swept his gaze, not knowing what he's doing here. Suddenly, he heard crying and whimpering from somebody. He did not hesitate to check on whoever was crying in the forest. With a sigh of relief, he saw that it's Sam, Michellee, and E.B huddled together.

"Sam! Michellee! E.B!" Guy shouted with joy to find them. "Are you guys okay?!"

Michellee shot a grief-stricken glance up at Guy. "Stay away from us!"

"Wh-What?" Guy uttered while noticing E.B laying in her mother's arms, her face seemed pale and lifeless. "Is she--?"

"Stay away from us!" Michellee cried out while holding her dead daughter in her arms. She was glaring but...it's not directly at him. Guy had a feeling it was at someone behind him...someone dangerous. He slowly turned around and faced the danger of a person until his pupils shrunk in terror.

He saw that it was Guy himself standing behind him except his orange fur was pale and his crumpled hat appeared to be almost destroyed. His eyes were pale as if there's no hope left in him. Guy broadened his eyes more while glancing back at his family cowering back against the tree.

Michellee began to edge tears in her eyes as she glanced at Sam. "Sam, get behind me."

"But, Michellee--"

"Now!" Michellee demanded while her body trembled.

Sam hid behind her like a scared child. Guy shifted his glance back at his pale self, who's slowly trudging towards them. Before Guy could fight against himself, something grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him out of the way.

Guy yelped while reaching his hand out grab onto his other self's shoulder but he couldn't reach him. Guy was thrusted back against the tree as thick branches and twigs were wrapped around his body.

"Stop!" Guy shouted at his other self, tears streaming down on his face. He struggled against the branches as he watched his other self holding his hands out with dead eyes staring at Michellee blankly. It's almost like he's a zombie with absolutely no control of his own actions and body.

"Don't hurt her!" Guy screamed on the top of his lungs as the branches began to hold him close.

There's a red glow in his other self's hand that was ready to fire at Michellee, while Michellee was glaring back at his other-self.

"Guy, I know that it's not you!" Michellee yelled with tears streaming down on her face. "Snap out of it!"

Before anyone made an action, the red ball shot out of his other self's hand and hit Michellee. Michellee flew over Sam and crashed her head against the tree behind them. Sam dodged out of her way when she collapsed on the floor next to E.B, his pupils shrinking in sheer terror.

"No! Stop! Stop!" Guy shouted at his other self with an angry glare.

Sam whipped his glance up at the Guy in front of him with tears in his eyes. "Guy! Stop! Please."

Guy, being tied up by the branches, had his heart shattered when he heard his best friend's pleading voice.

"Please, stop. It's me, Sam. Sam I Am," Sam pleaded, staring up at his best friend, who's wasn't really him. "Please, Guy. You know me...we're briefcase buddies...right?"

The fake Guy stopped and gazed at his best friend. There's a bit of light in his pale eyes when he looked into Sam's desperate ones. His lips trembled while closing his dead eyes for a brief second. Then, he reopened them with the familiar symbol that was glimmering in his eyes.

"Y-You're not real," the fake Guy uttered while extending his hands out towards Sam.

Before Sam could convince him again, the red ball of fire shot out of the pale man's hand and thrusted Sam back, causing his neck to snap. He tumbled next to Michellee, blood oozing out of his head.

"NO!!!" Guy cried out while trying to get out of the branches but they were wrapping him all over his body and now covering his face. "No! No! Stop! What are you?!"

Guy had his mouth covered and then his eyes. Everything became pitch black for a moment. Just for a moment.

Guy found himself reopening his eyes, his vision was nothing but a blur only for a brief second. And then, he saw Sam's body along with Michellee's and E.B's dead bodies lying in front of him.

"No...No!" Guy cried, his body trembling. Then, he glanced down at his hands and soon realized that they're covered with blood...their blood.

"No--NO!!!! NO!" Guy screamed, denying it while hearing their screams and pleads. "No! I-No!"

_"Guy, wake up, you're dreaming. Come on, wake up, buddy."_

Guy heard Sam's soft voice but the screams were louder than his buddy's reassuring voice.

"Sam?!" Guy recognized instantly while crying. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!!"

~.~

_Reality:_

Sam shook Guy gently in the shoulders, who's crying and about to scream in his sleep. "Guy, come on, wake up."

"Is he okay?" Gabriella asked with concern in her voice.

Sam didn't answer her question, not because he wanted to but because he couldn't focus on whether Guy's okay or not. All he could think about was how to snap Guy out of those nightmares.

"Sam," Guy muttered in his sleep while tossing and turning.

"Yeah, it's me, buddy. It's okay, you're dreaming," Sam reassured Guy with a soft tone. "Wake up."

Guy snapped his eyes open with a gasp while fidgeting his hands and his body trembling. "Wha-What? Where am I? Where's Michellee and E.B?!"

"They're on their trip. You're still in Cat's Fantasy Island," Sam answered soothingly.

Guy noticed Sam right away. "Sam?"

"Yeah. What's up, buddy?"

Guy immediately wrapped his arms around Sam and hugged him as tightly as he could to not let go of his best friend.

Sam hugged Guy slowly while nuzzling his head against his friend's. "Is everything okay, bud?"

Guy began to sob while shaking his head. "No...no."

Before Sam could ask any further questions, Guy cried a lot more than he normally would cry. Sam figured that all his briefcase buddy wanted to do was to hug him tightly and just let out a good cry.

Sam patted Guy's head while embracing him tightly back. "It's okay. It's okay. Whatever it is...it's just a nightmare."

"It felt so real," Guy sobbed an answer-back. "It felt so real."

"Shh, I know. But it's okay. It's okay," Sam soothed gently.

Gabriella was watching this and softly smile to herself. She blushed a little when she saw Sam comforting his best friend. Wait, what was she thinking? She shook that thought aside.

Cat appeared out of nowhere with his golf clothes on and a golf club with a wide grin without noticing Guy and Sam hugging each other. "I heard the wells of screams and sobs from Hole Nine. Is there a problem?"

Gabriella glanced up at her cat friend. "Guy's having another nightmare."

Cat whipped his glance at Guy sobbing into Sam's shoulder, losing his grin. "Alrighty then. Does Guy need to see a therapist? I mean, if he keeps having recurring nightmares--"

"Cat...not right now," Gabriella responded a bit, not wanting to ruin the moment between Sam and Guy.

Cat glanced at Sam and Guy again, clearing his throat. "Or...he just needs comfort."

Cat began to warm himself up while walking up towards both the briefcase buddies. "We know how you're feeling right now, Guy!"

"Cat-" Gabriella called out to him quietly.

Cat collapsed on his knees and hugged Guy and Sam dramatically while patting Guy on the back. "It's okay, Guy. We're here for you."

Gabriella noticed a dramatize sadness in Cat's voice while shaking her head in discouragement, knowing that Cat was just being dramatic.

Guy began to feel uncomfortable with Cat hugging him and stopped sobbing while wiping the remaining tears away. "You know...I'm just going to take a walk to clear my head."

"Do you need company?" Sam asked, remembering the last time that Guy was taking a walk alone, he hallucinated and fell unconscious. 

"Yeah, you could get easily lost in this island," Cat indicated intelligently.

Gabriella nodded her head in agreement.

Guy shook his head gently. "No, I'm fine. I--I just need to time to process."

"O-Okay," Sam stuttered, having the urge to insist but understanding that his friend needed time to process what's going on. He knew Guy will tell him eventually. Hopefully.

Guy began to have a guilty look on his face but he strolled away into the breezy night, alone in his thoughts.

Cat noticed this while twitching his ears. "You know what, I'm going to go too. Enjoy the rest of the night."

Cat headed off into a different direction, maybe to just play golf.

Sam frowned and gazed down at the sand, which Gabriella noticed.

"Is everything okay, Sam?" Gabriella inquired softly.

Sam looked back up at Gabriella while faking a smile. "Yeah, everything is okay. I'm...I'm just worried about Guy."

Both Sam and Gabriella sat down while Sam lost his plastered smile and gazed at the ground again.

"He must have meant a lot to you," Gabriella indicated with a soft small smile.

"Yeah...he's a first friend I ever made...a real friend," Sam responded with a sad sigh.

Gabriella frowned at the thought.

Sam chuckled sadly. "I never had anyone stuck around me for this long. Or even thought about putting together my birthday party."

"You never have a birthday party?"

"No...I wouldn't tell them because...well...I don't know why I never told Guy when my birthday is. Everyone that I know celebrated it and it was fun and magical."

"I can imagine," Gabriella replied, a bit wistful in her tone.

Sam frowned more he thought about his best friend. "Now...I'm just getting worried about Guy. I know that he'll get through whatever he's getting through...as long as I'm with him or Michellee and E.B are with him--he should be fine. But...I can't watch him suffer in his sleep. Sometimes I'm a bit afraid that he won't know the difference between reality and hallucination...or think our friendship was fake...do you think he'll think that, Gabriella?"

Gabriella pondered for a moment and then put her hand on Sam's shoulder. "If you guys are truly friends, there's no way he'll ever forget that. From what I could tell, Guy seemed smart. He'll know that his love for you and others will be the only thing that's real. Take that away from him...he'll have nothing left. I think Cat could relate to this."

"Cat?"

Gabriella nodded her head. "He used to have two kids...Thing One and Thing Two."

"Oh, I remember them," Sam responded with a chuckle. "They were such trouble-makers."

"They're dead."

"Oh," Sam gasped a bit in surprise. "Who killed them?"

"I don't know...I wasn't there. All I know that it hurt Cat when Thing One and Thing Two. Even though, he won't admit it--I know some things can hurt him even if he pretends that everything fine."

"How long ago was both Thing One and Thing Two killed?"

"Five years ago."

Sam softened his gaze while looking around the shore. "I'm sorry."

"He won't talk about it."

"Then...how did you know?"

Gabriella sighed. "I found out about them in the library. Cat seemed to have fun with them. Even with the two kids in that house...and the goldfish."

"Hmph. He's going to people's houses now, is he?"

"Well, he used to walk into houses and caused chaos. In the end, he took the money and left. I'm pretty sure those kids' mother wouldn't be too happy to find out all of her jewelry," Gabriella replied with a giggle.

Sam chuckled along with her. "Yeah. Cat is crazy. That's for sure."

Gabriella had a blush on her face but she quickly hid it with her poofy hair. "Yeah. He is."

~.~

Guy continued to walk down the shore. He found himself lost...as Cat predicted but that didn't matter to him. He couldn't take his mind off of that stupid nightmare. It seemed like that every night. Every night it had to be him having nightmares. Why? What did he do to deserve any of this? All of those questions pounded in his brain as he felt something burning in his palm. Guy looked at his trembling hand and saw the symbol again.

"Why are you on my hand?" Guy uttered quietly. When he glanced up, he saw a pink booth that was covered with palm branches and a little kid stool in front of it. He shifted his gaze up at the orange head sign that was hung over the counter that said: _Psychiatric Help: $.05._

Guy sighed deeply, thinking he could use some psychiatric help. He sat on the little stool and noticed the words on the front of the booth that read: _The Doctor Is Out_.

"Who's the doctor?" Guy muttered the question to himself. Whether the doctor was here or not, he wanted to sit there and pondered deeply about what his nightmares could be about. He heard light footsteps coming towards the booth as he looked up from the ground. His eyes broadened when he saw a little girl with tan fur and short black hair. She had a dark blue dress on with sneakers on. She wiped the branches off of the booth and switched the sign to: _The Doctor is Real In._

"Before we start, please pay five cents, sir," The little girl requested while taking out her silver can that had the five cents label.

Guy felt horrified by this while sighing in discouragement. "Did Cat kidnap you too?"

Suddenly, the girl reached the top of her head as there's a zipper up there and unzips herself. Cat popped out the disguise with a cheer, causing Guy to stumble back in his small stool with a surprised yelp.

"No, but thank you for your concern," Cat responded with a huge devilish grin while leaning forward a bit on his small pink booth, his elbow resting on the counter.

Guy breathed in and out deeply. "Cat! You just gave me a heart attack!"

"Do you need to go to the doctor's?"

"That's a figure of speech!"

"I wasn't asking because of the speech," Cat corrected while tapping his fingers on the counter.

"Then...why are you asking?"

"Well, it seems to me that you've been having recurring nightmares. Figure you need to talk to somebody about it."

"Then why did you disguise yourself as the little girl?"

"Oh, that's just for fun. Here, watch this!" Cat ducked his head underneath the booth and then popped back out but this time...he disguised himself as Sam I Am, obtaining his height and weight perfectly while hopping onto the booth.

"Eh! What do you think?!" Cat asked while mimicking Sam's voice perfectly. "Would you like Green Eggs and Ham here or there?"

Guy twitched his eye, finding it to be actually creepy. "Did you just seriously disguised yourself as Sam?"

"Yes."

Guy groaned deeply. "I'm going mentally insane."

Sam hopped back down behind the booth and then Cat popped out with a huge grin on his face. 

"Do you want to know what else I can do?" Cat asked immediately while taking out a measuring tape.

Guy stood up abruptly. "I don't think I want to know--"

Cat hopped over the booth and began measuring Guy. "Hmm...Let's see. Width, Length, Height. Got a round belly and a crumpled hat. And then--" Cat took off his hat and twirled it around. Suddenly, like a snap of a finger, Cat perfectly disguised himself as Guy himself with a stupid grin on his face.

Guy had his eyes enlarged with pure horror.

"So...what do you think?" Cat asked, copying Guy's voice perfectly. Cat, disguised as Guy, sniffed his own arm while holding out a disgusted look on his wrinkled face. "Ew! What did you shower yourself with?"

Guy furrowed his brows. "Why would you ask?"

"You smell like--" Cat sniffed his own disguised orange-furred arm again. "--like oatmush. You smell like Sadman's Special!"

"I used to eat them a lot back then...didn't think I have the smell still."

"Oh," Cat replied with Guy's voice still intact. As Guy himself, Cat glanced down at his round belly and patted on it. "Holy yip! I got a big belly!"

"Stop patting on...the stomach," Guy demanded, not sure if he's about to refer to himself or the Cat's stomach.

Cat, like a disobedient child, patted his own round stomach again. "You can make music out of this."

Cat licked his own disguised Guy's lip. "Your lips are chapped."

"No one asks you to lick my 'disguised' lips," Guy growled at Cat's child-like manner.

Then Cat looked down at himself and noticed his disguised Guy's butt. "Smooth thick butt. Are you even single?"

Guy clenched his teeth, losing his patience. "I'm in a relationship."

"With Sam?"

"No."

"Aw, you guys do look like a perfect gay couple."

"We're not gay!" Guy snarled defensively.

"Well, that's a missed opportunity and a shame. Still, you get a lot of girls and guys coming to ya with that booty." Cat gestured to Guy's butt.

Guy was now irritated. "Stop disguising yourself as me!"

"Aw, but it was fun being you," Cat uttered meekly with Guy's tone.

"Please...stop--

"Stop examing my body," Both Cat and Guy replied simultaneously.

They both flicked a glare at each other. Guy growled, followed by Cat's growl as Guy.

"Stop copying me!" They both shouted at each other simultaneously.

They both groaned a bit in irritation.

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!!" They both said it rapidly like it's a race.

"This is starting to get creepy," Guy snarled at Cat disguised as Guy himself.

Cat unzipped his Guy disguise and stepped out of it while flicking with his hat and putting it on his head. "I agree. Although, it was fun disguising myself as you. We should totally do that someday! Play the old switcheroo on people. I can disguise other people as well!"

"No thanks. Now, could you leave me alone? I need time to think."

"About your nightmare?" Cat questioned sympathetically while taking off his hat.

Guy widened his eyes and turned to him, surprised that Cat was talking in a soft tone. "Yeah. I-I need to be alone."

"Why do you need to think about your nightmare?"

Guy sighed deeply. "You wouldn't understand."

Cat silenced himself. "You're afraid to go back to sleep, are you?"

Guy faced the shore with the waves crashing into the sand. "A little...actually, I am scared to go back to sleep. It's almost like every time I sleep, something horrible happens. I might as well not sleep at all. Because--"

"Because you're afraid that you'll recycle back to your nightmares," Cat finished Guy's sentence, causing Guy to turn around to glance at him with a surprised look on his face.

"Yes."

"I understand. If it makes you feel any better, I don't sleep at all. Probably isn't the best life choice. But...it's something to avoid the nightmares."

"You get nightmares?"

"Often. That's why I stop sleeping."

"When's the last time you slept?"

Cat frowned at the question. "I didn't keep track."

"Oh...I see. Well...I know that I can't live without sleep...but...I don't know. I just--continue to get nightmares."

"Could you tell me one of your nightmares? At least your recent one."

Guy shifted his gaze back at the ocean horizon with Cat standing next to him and gazing into the horizon.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. You just met me and probably don't trust me as much as you trusted Sam. Which is fine with me. But...I know that you need somebody to talk to about this. You can't hold in whatever it is inside of you forever...right?"

Guy glanced at Cat, becoming more surprised that Cat was the one saying this stuff. He would expect Sam to say stuff like that or even Gabriella. But...it's Cat who said this. He's just a goofy cat a second ago...is he now being sympathetic?

Guy sighed while watching the moon hovering over the water. "You have to promise that you won't tell Sam. I-I want to tell him myself...and please...take this seriously."

"Alright," Cat answered softly. "I'm listening."

Guy's lips began to tremble. "I had a dream about...about being in a cold dark place. I was chained onto a bed and...and the room flooded. It's weird."

Cat listened attentively with his hands behind his back. He noticed Guy becoming a bit afraid to share. "Go on."

"Well," Guy continued. "For some reason, I was transported to a dark hollow forest. And I found...I found Michellee, E.B, and Sam."

"Who's Michellee and E.B?"

"Oh...Michellee is my girlfriend and E.B is her daughter," Guy informed the Cat.

Cat nodded his head in understanding. "Alright, I got it."

Guy's eyes began to water while shaking away the tears. "E.B was already dead...and Michellee--she shouted at me and the way she looked at me...she looked at me like I was a monster. Even Sam was afraid of me."

Guy lost it when he held back his sobs. Cat noticed this and put his gloved hand on Guy's shoulder. "Let it all out. It's okay."

Guy burst into tears by Cat's soft touch on his shoulder. His shoulders were shuddering. "B-But...she wasn't glaring at me...she wasn't even looking at me. I saw...I saw myself. He looked pale and dead inside. It's almost like I'm invisible to them. And then...this other me...killed Michellee right in front of me...and I can't stop him. And then...Sam...Sam was trying to talk the other me out of it...he was so desperate...and...and--"

Guy couldn't finish his sentence.

Cat nodded his head in understanding while rubbing his shoulder gently. "I understand. That's why the first thing you did was hug Sam as tight as you can."

Guy nodded his head slowly in confirmation while sobbing still.

Cat patted his shoulder. "Did I trigger you when I disguised myself as you? I didn't mean it to be--"

"No...you wouldn't have known," Guy uttered with tear stains on his face. "I didn't get 'trigger' by it. I just got creeped out."

"I see." Cat noticed Guy still crying.

"I'm sorry--"

"No, you're good. You just need to get it out."

There's a brief tender pause between them.

"What if...Sam sees me as a monster? Will Sam see me as a monster? Or Michellee or E.B--will any of them see me as a monster?"

"If I know Sam, I highly doubt that he'll think of you as a monster. Sam was probably more concerned for you healthwise than scared of you. In all honesty, you might be his first real friend and maybe even family he had in a long time. Sam may act jolly and excited on the outside...but on the inside, I can see that he's just a broken lonely soul. He searched for a friend all the time...and...I wasn't one of them. Seeing Sam today, happy to be with his briefcase buddy and friend, I wished I could've given that to him sooner. Instead, I was a criminal just like him. And I've tricked him a couple of times but...I-I guess I pushed him away but it's not because of him. And, as for Michellee and E.B, they might see you as a person who needed help and if they're that supportive, they can help you with your recurring nightmares problem. Maybe. I don't know them that well to make judgments."

Guy pondered for a moment, his lips trembling.

Cat frowned while his ears drooped down. "Sam deserves people like you, Guy. Not people like me. I guess that's why I pushed him away."

"You deserve friends too, Cat."

"If you knew me...you wouldn't think so," Cat uttered placing his hat on the ground.

Guy was a bit shock that Cat's whole mood just changed. It was only a moment ago that he's this funny goofy cat, then he's calm and caring, and now...he's just depressed. Guy tried to read the Cat's mind again but all he saw in the cat's mind was chaos. There's no point in trying to see what's going on.

Guy sighed deeply while covering his face. "What can I do to end these nightmares?"

"I don't know, Guy. I don't know." Cat and Guy still gazed out into the horizon, hoping that the night will come to its end pretty soon. 

_**To Be Continued...** _


	5. The Pursuit of Terror

_**Episode Five: The Pursuit of Terror** _

Louis and Gluntz opened the doors to the prison where Snerz escaped from in the early morning. The yellow-furred security guard with a brown mustache was waltzing around the premise. Both Louis and Gluntz noticed him not paying attention to them.

"Excuse me, sir? We would like to ask you questions about Snerz's escape," Louis spoke up, causing the guard to roll his eyes and shifted his focus on both of them.

"Look, I already told the cops everything," the security guard groaned with a sigh at the end of his sentence.

"Uh, I'm not part of the cops," Gluntz responded with a grin. "I'm part of the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S! It's even on the title card!" She handed the title card to the security guard enthusiastically.

The security guard examined the card, immediately intimated. "Y-You're the badguys?"

"Flip it over, buddy," Louis replied with his arms crossed.

The security guard flipped it over and then sighed in relief. "Oh, you scared me for a second. Look, what does it have to do with the protection of the animals?"

The three of them walk through the hallways of the prison as Gluntz cleared her throat to begin explaining their case.

"Sir--"

"Just call me Bob."

"Okay, Bob, you are well aware of why Snerz was in prison, right?"

"Because he committed a crime. That's why all criminals land in prison."

Gluntz gave the security guard a deadpan stare. "Yes, he committed a crime. A crime involving the abduction of endangered animals, smuggling, and--well, you know the rest. Anyways, if Snerz is released from prison by someone else, that means he's back in corrupt business with that someone else. We had the audiotape to prove that."

Bob, the security guard, shook his head. "I know about the tape."

"Alright, so you know that we have questions to ask you?"

"Yeah, we can talk in there." Bob pointed at the discreet room where Louis and Gluntz could question him.

"Alright."

The three of them entered the room while Louis closed the door behind them.

"What do you want to ask me?" Bob questioned to both Louis and Gluntz.

Louis and Gluntz glanced at each other while determining who should question the security guard first.

"Ladies first," Louis gestured Gluntz to go first with a smile.

Gluntz nodded her head in understanding and shifted her attention to Bob. "Did you see anything strange? Like who the stranger was or some sort? You said that you know about the tape."

"The tape is from our camera recordings. I saved it immediately after the incident. As for the visitor from the other night, he had his name signed but it's unreadable."

"How?"

Bob immediately went to the file cabinets and took out the sign-in sheet from last night. "It's the last signature on the bottom."

Gluntz received the paper from Bob and examined it to notice the scribbles. "Did you have him state his own name?"

"I did...but--" Bob cut himself, scratching the back of his neck.

"But what?" Louis persisted, raising his brow.

"I-I forgot," Bob answered meekly while lowering his head in shame. "I swear, I had him say his name but--I blank out on what it is."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll be able to read the signature," Gluntz assured Bob with a gentle smile.

"Did something else happened last night that you didn't forget? Other than Snerz's escape?" Louis jumped in on asking the questions.

Bob's face became pale suddenly. "I remember the guards I worked with. I found one or two bodies cut in half...with their insides missing...I do recall, however, of something burning in my chest. It was dark...I couldn't see anything...and--and this was imprinted on my chest."

The guard pulled down his neck collar slightly to show his bare chest that had the circular symbol that had two snakes crossed over each other like an X engraved on him. Louis had his eyes bulged out while Gluntz tilted her head in confusion.

"I just found it this morning," Bob continued to explain. "And...I did tell the cops about it and they said that they will investigate further into it...but...I'm not sure when they are going to come up with an answer of where that symbol comes from."

"Do you even see who planted this symbol on you? Do you see a face or something?" Louis asked while examining the symbol on Bob's chest.

"I don't know...but I heard a voice that told me something...just something like 'you'll be next' or something like that. And then--"

"You forgot about who entered the building and helped Snerz escaped," Louis finished Bob's sentence.

"Exactly...All I have to concrete my memories are the signatures, the cameras, and the tape. That's the only thing I have left to remember. The cameras didn't catch who helped free Snerz, it glitched from the moment the visitor was with him and then the next second...Snerz is gone along with that stranger and...t-that monster."

"Monster?" Gluntz inquired, catching the word.

"I'm not sure if it's a man or a monster but...he was the one who cut a couple of my co-workers in half. One of them was mangled into bits...it's so bloody...I-I--"

"You don't have to describe the scene," Louis soothed Bob, who seemed nervous. "Do you mind if we investigate the building?"

"Of course. Of course. I need a drink of water from thinking about what happened."

"Go ahead. We'll take it from here," Gluntz assured Bob.

"Thank you," Bob replied as he sighed and sat on the chair in the room.

"No problem," Louis responded with a sympathetic smile.

~.~

Gluntz and Louis were investigating down the hallways together.

_**Man, this popcorn is so good with butter. Mmm-hmm! It's so delicious --oh wait, am I supposed to be narrating now? Shoot, uh, well, um, Louis did have a gut feeling like there's someone here in the prison besides Bob. Maybe he's just being paranoid but he wanted to go with Gluntz just in case something bad happens when they separate. Just for her safety...not that he didn't think Gluntz could fight for herself...he just didn't want her to get hurt.** _

Louis scratched the back of his head while trying to think up of a good conversation starter. "So...what do you think of all this?"

"All what?" Gluntz asked while examing the hallways.

"Well, the case...what Bob said about the monster...stuff like that."

"I felt sorry for Bob...he must have been traumatized by whatever killed his co-workers. Like, how would you feel if you see people you work with being slaughtered?"

Louis pondered about it. "I usually work alone but if I were in Bob's shoes, I would be horrified."

"It could happen to anyone. It could happen to either you or me--"

"Don't overthink it. As long as we got each other's back, that monster won't get us."

Gluntz smiled, finding a bit of comfort in Louis's words. "Right...I mean for the other people though."

Louis glanced ahead of him while putting his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "If we focus on the case, maybe it will prevent fewer deaths."

"Maybe." Gluntz's face suddenly scrunched up after she sniffed something decomposing in the air. She stopped herself while having her eyes widened. Louis's hand drifted off of her shoulder while he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to her with concern on his face.

"What's wrong?"

Gluntz covered her nose with her hand. "Did Bob say that he saw a couple of dead guards during Snerz's escape?"

"Yeah, why?" Louis sniffed in the air too and noticed that the smell was unbearable. "Do you think that--?"

The scent led them to the door beside them, where the awful smell was from. Louis warily placed his hand on the doorknob and opened it. There were a couple more bodies that fell instantly onto the floor with flies buzzing around them, which scared both Louis and Gluntz with a surprised yelp.

Gluntz pinched her nose. "Ugh! That's where that smell came from."

Louis took out his flashlight and beamed the light into the dark room, discovering that there were about ten more bodies of guards that were mangled and tangled on the floor.

"This is much worse than I thought," Louis muttered underneath his breath.

"Oh my gosh! What kind of monster would do this?!" Gluntz questioned Louis, her tone panicking.

"I don't know...and why is Snerz worth all of those dead bodies? He must have been valuable to whoever was freeing him."

"The question is...who?"

"Right. Who?"

Both of them took a deeper examination of the bodies, horrified by the sight. It's sudden that they both heard a scream from someone familiar. They glanced at each other for a quick moment.

"Bob!" They both shouted as they sprinted back to the room where they questioned Bob.

When they reached the room, they found Bob's dead body sprawled on the floor. Blood seeped into his clothes and the cold tile floor. The light was flickering in the room as Gluntz turned her head to look at the writing on the wall that was smeared with blood.

"L-Look!" Gluntz pointed at the writing.

Louis shifted his focus on the bloody writing that said: _Rejoice! Death is not the end._

~.~

Guy slept on the sand in the bright sunny morning, twitching in his sleep. He's mumbling something incoherent, shivering from the cold gentle breeze. The waves suddenly crashed on top of him, causing him to snap open his eyes and sat up abruptly from the dreadful nightmare. He breathed in and out heavily while intaking his first breath as if he's been drowning in his sleep. Seeing the open ocean gave him a sense of calmness but it's only for a little bit. His eyes still widened from waking up from the horrible nightmare. He couldn't even remember what it was even about.

He stood up to his feet while the cold ocean water splashed towards his legs. He gazed at the rising sun, at least relieved that it's finally morning. How did he fell asleep last night? He glanced next to him to realize that Cat wasn't there with him.

"Cat?" Guy uttered a question. In an instant, he felt his eardrums vibrating, hurting his ears from the screeching noise. He squeezed his eyes shut while covering his ears and collapsing on his knees. When the screeching noise stopped, he reopened his eyes and found himself standing on the ashes.

"What?" Guy immediately straightened himself up. He looked around the beach and noticed that the sand was ashes and the waves were blood. He stumbled back away from it as he gazed at the deadly orange sun with the blood-red sky. His hand began to tremble again while gripping it tightly. He couldn't sweep his gaze away from the sun...why?

He felt his palm and wrist burning as Guy quickly glanced at his hand again to see the cursed circular mark. But it's not only on his palm...it's on his wrist too.

"W-What's happening?" Guy muttered, tears forming out of his eyes. He stared back out into the open bloody water, his body trembling. His eyes were fixed on the burning horizon in front of him. He couldn't move...he couldn't even comprehend what's happening.

_"Guy."_

Guy heard a familiar voice but the voice was drowned out by a bunch of screams and cries in pain. Tears continued to roll down on his cheeks non-stop, his heart racing.

_"GUY!"_

The vision finally glitched back to the breezy paradise reality as Guy glanced down to see Sam gazing up at him with a worried expression written on his face.

Guy noticed tears leaking out of his own eyes and wiped them away.

"I-Is everything okay, buddy?" Sam stuttered, holding his friend's hand.

Guy raised his brow with a question on how Sam got here next to him. He then turned his head behind them to notice Cat sitting in the driver's side of a golf cart with Gabriella sitting at the back. She appeared to be a bit concern and confused while Cat grinned from ear to ear stupidly.

"Top of the morning to you! How are you doing on this fine day?" Cat chirped, his positive tone coming back.

_**That's weird. Wasn't he emotional last night?** _

Cat noticed Guy's dried tears while losing his grin. "Did the beach site touch your heart?"

Gabriella furrowed her brow and turned her head to look at Cat sternly. "I don't think that's why he's crying."

Guy cleared his throat and shifted his focus on Sam with a slight nod. "I-I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked, still concerned.

"Yeah, I'm sure. How--how did you guys find me?"

"Cat knows his fantasy island better than most of us. Sometimes I still find myself lost," Gabriella explained while blushing.

Cat nodded his head in confirmation. "Probably should've had someone with you in case you get lost."

"But---" Guy sealed his lips, trying to ponder about something to say. He took a deep breath in and out calmly. "Nevermind. Are we going to be stuck on this island forever since we're being hunted?"

"That is an option for you. Although, I don't think you should stay here for too long," Cat suggested while patting the empty passenger seat next to him. "Hop in! Let's discuss it."

Sam hopped into the seat next to Gabriella. Guy sat in the camper next to Cat as Cat shifted the stick to drive and drove the cart through the beach.

As the cart drove through the beach, paradise music began playing as the four of them enjoyed the view.

"Isn't this lovely?" Cat sighed wistfully at the end of his sentence with a satisfied smile. He leaned back against his seat and put his feet up on the wheel, letting his feet take control of the wheel while his tail pressed on the gas pedal.

Guy nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Yep," Sam responded with a smile. "I have never seen your fantasy island before. You talked about it so much but you never showed me it."

Cat giggled. "Now, you get to see it in its full glory."

Gabriella edged a grin. "Well, it's been a while since I've been to 'reality'."

"You should definitely come with us!" Sam chirped, excited about the new person joining the party.

"Wait, we can't risk any more lives," Guy urged mostly to Cat.

Cat relaxed back on his seat. "Gabriella knows how to fight. I trained her in case she ever goes out into the real world. You'll never know what kind of creeps you'll run into eventually."

There's a distant pause as Cat pondered the next question.

"So...where would you guys like to go? That's safe?"

_**Guy thought about it. At first instinct, he wanted to go to Stovepipe Junction just to hide but...he remembered what happened last time. Good thing his parents and his brothers were alive now but...if it wasn't for the fact that Guy had healing abilities, his parents and brothers would've stayed dead.** _

"What are you thinking, buddy?" Sam asked while gazing up at his friend.

Guy turned to Sam. "I was thinking about going to Stovepipe but...that's too risky. Especially with my family...I don't want to put them at risk."

"Yeah, me neither. I mean, especially after all that Ghost situation," Sam input with a frown.

Gabriella raised her brow. "Ghost?"

"Yeah...they're deadly assassins that only kill innocent lives. They're basically a cult," Sam explained to Gabriella.

Cat twitched his ear back, frowning suddenly. Guy noticed this while trying to read the Cat's mind. It's silent...too silent. There wasn't the usual chaos in his brain...it's just complete and utter silence. Then, Cat randomly dropped his feet from the wheel and took back control of the wheel with his gloved hands.

"Hail Hydra!" Cat blurted out randomly and without context.

"Hydra...?" Guy uttered, remembering hearing that word before.

Cat plastered a playful grin at Guy. "You know, Captain America...have you ever seen Captain America?"

"Um...what's Captain America?" Sam questioned while raising his brow.

Cat lost his plastered grin. "All of you are so uncultured...Anyways! This Hydra group is pretty much bad people. You know what they do that's so evil?"

"What?" Guy spoke up, taking an interest in the conversation.

"They experiment on people," Cat explained simply. "Painful experiments...believe it or not."

"Why...experiment on people?" Sam awkwardly inquired.

"To use them as weapons, of course," Cat answered abrasively. "Or they just want something to toy with...either way, they're still hurting and killing people with experiments."

"But...is this Hydra thing...real?" Guy stuttered a bit.

"A Hydra is just a myth...many people reference it for some reason. They say about the creature that if you chop one of the nine heads off...two more will grow in its place," Gabriella pointed out. "I read that in the library somewhere."

"Knowledge is power. Fist bump!" Cat responded proudly as he held up his fist for her to pound it.

While Cat celebrated the fact that Gabriella knew something, Guy was suddenly taken back to the memory where he's pinned up against the wooden fence in the dark alleyway with the shadow just glaring at him.

_"Have you heard of a Hydra?"_

Guy's hand began to tremble from hearing those words.

_"If you chop one head off, two more will grow in its place. Doesn't that fascinate you?"_

How could all of this connect? How? Guy brought himself back to the present as he glanced over at Cat, who had the worried look on his face. Sam and Gabriella had their looks of concern as Sam put his hand on Guy's shoulder.

Cat licked his lips and finally came up with an idea. "Hey! I know a place where we can be safe from those...hunters...let's go!"

"Wait...where are we going?" Guy immediately asked after Cat took off of hat and tossed it in front of them, creating a portal. Cat drove into the portal with everyone screaming while the portal took them into someplace...unknown. 

~.~

The early sun rose from the peak of the mountains as McWinkle drove the black truck through the Blueberry forest where the trees had nothing but blueberries grown around them. Michellee was sleeping on the passenger's side, still unconscious from what happened last night. McWinkle took out the necklace that he looted from the maniacal priest and gazed at it further, finding some sort of a clue. He put it back in his pocket quickly to focus on the road.

McWinkle shifted his attention over at Michellee, debating in his own mind whether he should wake her up or not. He twisted his mouth and decided to leave her to sleep. Hopefully, she'll wake up with restful sleep. He leaned forward a bit in his seat to follow the trail of the big vehicle that took Michellee's daughter, E.B, as a hostage. Luckily, there wasn't anyone in the road that would interfere with the trail.

Michellee stirred a bit in her sleep, moaning quietly to the point where he didn't hear her. As McWinkle was driving, she's muttering something incoherent. He didn't hear what she said but he paid no attention to it, too focused on the road ahead of him.

Suddenly, Michellee jolted awake with eyes snapped open. "EB!!!"

McWinkle jumped while almost veering the truck off of the path they were on while he pulled over to the side of the road quickly.

His eyes were bulged out while his giant hands gripped on the steering wheel tightly. He took a deep inhale and then exhaled calmly while raising his finger to point at the panicked woman, who's breathing in and out rapidly.

"Calm," was the only word McWinkle could muster without losing control of his emotion.

Michellee looked around the vehicle with a panicked gaze. "Where's my daughter?! Where's E.B?! Why did you kidnap me?!"

"Please...stop screaming...let me explain everything," McWinkle responded calmly. "First of all, I saved your life. Those men were about to kidnap you until I killed them--"

"Wait! Were you even at the bed and breakfast place-?!"

"Shh, shh...yes, I was there for vacation until I heard a commotion outside. I saw the men kidnap your daughter while knocking you out. I stopped them from taking you but...they took your daughter."

"Are we even going to go after those men--?!"

"Shh, shh!" McWinkle shushed Michellee sternly, trying to calm her down. "Will you listen to me without freaking out?"

Michellee took a moment to calm her nerves. She counted to five while exhaling deeply and nodding her head.

"Alright. We're going to find your daughter."

"How?"

McWinkle pointed at the trail. "I've been following the trail throughout the night."

"What if it ends and we're at a dead end?"

"Then, we're going to have to use this." McWinkle took out a necklace with the circular shape and two snakes crossing over each other like an X.

"Where did you get that?"

McWinkle sealed his lips while beginning to drive. "It's best if I don't answer that."

"Why...?"

"You'll panic if I tell you where I got it."

"I'm sure that it's not that big of a deal."

"I'm still sure you'll freak out."

"Come on, McWinkle, I freaked out because I thought I was being kidnapped."

McWinkle stayed silent while driving the vehicle through the forest. He glanced over at Michellee, who sternly gazed at him like she expected him to say something. He shifted his attention back on the road.

"Do you really want to know?" McWinkle broke the awkward silence.

Michellee shrugged. "Well, you must have got it from somewhere."

"A dead priest's body."

She widened her eyes in shock that McWinkle would answer that abrasively.

"A priest--?"

McWinkle shrugged his shoulders. "He's a priest of some wacky religion. Apparently, he's after both you and Guy."

Michellee groaned a bit while laying against the cushion on her back. "What did we do this time?"

"You didn't do anything. For some reason, they want Guy to be on their side or something...or join their religion."

Michellee raised her brow. "Why?"

"No idea."

Michellee sighed again while looking out of the window. "I hope Guy is okay...along with Sam."

"I have no doubt in my mind that they can handle themselves. I'm sure they're okay."

Michellee nodded her head slightly in agreement. "Right. Do you think the others are being hunted as well?"

"Maybe. I don't know. We can't think about that right now."

Michellee stared at the necklace that McWinkle had been holding onto for a while. "Why does that symbol look familiar?"

McWinkle frowned a bit. "It's imprinted on the bombs that Jeckles built. He said that there's someone else that wanted to burn the world too...there's someone else that was going to finish what Jeckles had started. And, if I theorized correctly, it's going to involve Guy."

"How? Guy had nothing to do with them!" Michellee expressed angrily, though it's not intentionally at McWinkle.

"He has powers...they need him. The priest said something that they would have to 'persuade' him to join their religion...I think they're going to do it in a violent way."

"By kidnapping me and my daughter?" Michellee guessed, her tone becoming concerned.

"Maybe."

_**Michellee took a moment to ponder about all of this. She hoped Guy was safe somewhere far away but at the same time...where's Guy when you need him? He might find a solution to this problem, she's sure of it. Right? Despite having hallucinations and recurring nightmares, he's smart enough to get himself out of the situation that he'll be dragged in eventually. Does Guy even know that he's being hunted? She had no idea.** _

"We need to get my daughter before those men do something awful to her," Michellee determined in her mind.

"That's exactly what we are going to do," McWinkle responded with a soft smile.

~.~

Meanwhile, in the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S precinct, Michael, the fox, drank a whole mug of coffee and searched through the files that contained any information about the Biologist. Jean, the mouse, was just researching through the cities where the Biologist might've committed mass murder. Michael sighed deeply to himself while rubbing his tired eyes.

"Man, there's literally nothing about this dude. We don't have any leads or clues of who he is," Michael groaned irritably and glanced at the clock on the wall that read: 11:30 am.

"This case is a tough one. See if Goat has found any leads," Jean suggested, his eyes fixed on the computer screen in front of him.

"Got it," Michael responded with a firm nod and headed to the other room where Goat might be at.

Since they were given this extreme case, the fox knew that Goat was up for hours and hours just to find a single clue in the video that they were given. Goat was pretty good at spotting the different clues through videos but...the video that was shown to them was pretty much dark with the Biologist and the dissected victim only in the light. Michael entered the room where Goat had been watching the video more than once.

"Goat, did you find any--?" Michael's sentence was interrupted when he noticed his friend sleeping on the wooden desk.

Michael walked beside sleeping Goat while nudging his shoulder gently. "Goat."

Goat didn't seem to hear him, snoring a bit. Michael smirked a bit to himself.

 _"This is what you get for staying up hours and hours to watch the same video."_ Michael thought to himself.

Although, the more he stared at his friend, the more he began to think that Goat's cute when he sleeps. Michael shook the thought out of his head quickly and glanced down at the file that Goat was resting his head-on. The fox carefully removed the file from underneath his friend's head. He stared into the file to only have the picture of the Biologist. Michael shifted his stare at his friend, who wasn't disturbed by the fox's presence. The fox noticed a pillow on the other desk next to the one Goat was sleeping on and grabbed it.

Michael warily lifted Goat's head and sliding the pillow underneath. Goat rested his head on the comfortable pillow peacefully. Michael smiled when he saw how comfortable his friend was. Although, the room was a bit chilly. As a precaution, Michael searched for a warm heavy blanket and found it in the closet by the doorway behind Goat. He took it out and covered most of Goat's body with it. Michael grinned from ear to ear while shifting his stare up at the video Goat had to watch.

The video was the same gory video that they saw a couple of days ago. Michael sighed quietly to himself and then moved his eyes down at the picture of the Biologist. However, within the picture...something caught the fox's eye. Michael took a deeper examination at the Biologist's lab coat. There's a golden pin with a weird symbol engraved on it. The fox searched around the office for the magnifying glass and found it in one of the drawers. He quickly hovered the magnifying glass above the picture and saw the symbol.

His eyes widened immediately when he saw the circular symbol with two snakes crossing each other. He couldn't stop staring at it. It's almost like he's seen it before. When Goat mentioned it in the bar and finding it on the fox criminal's paw...he didn't think much of it. But there's something about that symbol that was just so familiar to him. When he stared at the symbol, all he saw was fire and all he heard were screams.

 _"Go! Get out of here! Take our son with you!"_ Michael heard a voice unfamiliar to him. But he couldn't help but hear screams of terror and the fire crackling. It's sudden that he lost his grip around the magnifying glass and the glass collided ontop of the picture. The fox leaned away from the picture while breathing in and out heavily.

Was that a memory? Michael didn't know whether it was or not. He blinked his eyes to snap himself back in reality. Michael heard someone moaning and glanced up to notice Goat was fidgeting in his sleep. Goat squeezed his eyes tightly while flicking his ears a bit.

Michael examined his friend to make sure he's okay but Goat was mumbling something incoherent. The fox debated whether he should wake his friend or not.

"Goat," Michael called gently.

"M-Mom...D-Dad," Goat muttered, tears streaming down on his cheeks.

Michael's eyes became enlarged when he heard his friend muttering for his parents. He remembered what Goat told both him and Jean about the Spillsberry fire and how his parents died...he's probably reliving his nightmare again.

"Goat...wake up, you're dreaming, man," Michael soothed Goat while gently nudging his friend's shoulder.

"N-No...please...don't go--"

"Goat, you're dreaming, man--"

"What?--" Goat slowly fluttered his eyes open, groaning a bit. He soon noticed Michael waking him up gently. He finally had his eyes opened and noticed that his head was resting on a pillow and a blanket was covering him to keep him warm.

Michael rubbed his arm nervously with a small hidden blush. "I-I thought that you would look comfy...with a pillow and blanket."

Goat smiled weakly. "Thank you. And it's comfy...I think I sleep a lot more deeply because of it...um, was I falling asleep on the job?"

"A little...but I figured that you need rest."

Goat flicked his ears a bit while wiping his cheek to notice that the tears were stained on his cheeks. "Hm...did you see me muttering something in my sleep or...crying?"

"Yeah...that's mostly why I woke you up."

Goat nodded his head to take in the information. "Sorry."

"No need to be sorry."

"Did I say something that...bothered you?"

"You were just muttering about your parents. That's pretty much about it."

Goat pondered for a bit.

"Did you have a dream about the Spillsberry fire?" Michael asked softly.

Goat paused for a moment while staring at the screen that had the Biologist with his victim. He moved his gaze down at the pillow and pushed it away from him gently. "You don't have to worry about it, zorro." Goat changed his focus back to Michael with a simple smile. "I'll be fine."

Michael nodded his head in understanding while clearing his throat. "I, um, might have found something that might give us a lead."

"A lead?!" Both Goat and Michael heard someone squeaked. They turned their heads to notice Jean scurrying up on the desk between them with a raised brow.

"Yeah. It's in the picture," Michael pointed at the picture of the Biologist while handing the magnifying glass to Goat. "There's a symbol in there...maybe it's the symbol you were mentioning about."

Goat scrutinized the picture to notice the pin having the circular shape with two snakes crossing over each other. "That's the one."

"But...what does that symbol have to do with the Biologist?"

The three of the animals gave thought about it for a moment.

"I know someone who had a sweet tattoo on his paw. Maybe he could help us," Goat responded with a bit of hope in his voice.

"Guys!" They heard a shout from someone as they turned their heads to look at the familiar red-furred man behind them, who's panting.

"That fox criminal you just turned in yesterday managed to escape," the man told them the news.

"What?!" the three of them gasped.

"Murray?" Jean quietly recognized the man from the other night at the bar where he found out that Louis was an assassin.

"That son of a yip! Come on, guys, we got to get this punk!" Goat cursed as he strode out of the office with Jean climbing up on the fox's shoulder.

"We should go," Jean responded with a nod. However, he gave a suspicious glare at Murray as Michael headed out of the office, leaving Murray alone in the office.

~.~

Michael, Jean, and Goat searched throughout Glurfsburg to find the criminal fox.

"How did that fox manage to escape in our precinct?" Jean asked, suspicion in his tone.

"I don't know...but we gotta find him," Michael whispered to the mouse.

The three animals suddenly spotted the fox criminal skulking on the sidewalks to find something.

Goat and Michael immediately ran up to the fox criminal, who turned around to hear footsteps. There's a fruit market beside the criminal as the criminal took the wooden board that held the oranges and swung it at both Goat and Michael, letting the oranges roll into the sidewalks and into the streets. Goat took an impact from the board while Michael ducked his head and snatched the criminal by the arms. Both of the foxes struggled as Jean scurried towards the other fox, but the criminal fox swiped his hand and knocked the mouse into the market. The criminal fox thrusted Michael into the market, knocking down some watermelons and canteloupe.

"Ha! See ya later, dummy!" The criminal fox shouted as he sprinted away from them.

Goat shook himself and went over to the market to check on Michael. "Michael, are you--?"

He noticed that Michael disappeared without a trace. He heard clattering as he glanced straight ahead of him to see that Michael was pursuing after the fox.

"I got him!" Michael shouted to Goat as he went after the criminal fox.

Jean followed Goat's gaze with a raised brow. "I don't think he can catch him."

"I know a shortcut that we could catch him. Are you on board with that?" Goat asked the mouse.

"Oui," Jean responded as he climbed on Goat's head. "Let's go!"

Meanwhile, Michael chased after the criminal with a glare. "Stop, Dylan!"

Dylan, the criminal fox, knocked newspaper stands and people carrying heavier stuff out of the way. As much as Michael wanted to help the people to pick up the mess that was created, he knew he couldn't. He had to catch that criminal!

"You can't catch me!" Dylan insulted while picking up a boomerang from a man's grasp and threw it at Michael. Michael immediately ducked his head, dodging the boomerang. The boomerang twirled itself around to hit the diesel truck driver driving in the streets. The truck tilted over and the load that it was carrying flew off, charging at the innocent vixen walking across the street. Michael gasped and bolted towards the vixen. She noticed the load about to land on top of her until he tackled her out of the way. The diesel load landed beside them, missing them.

Dylan laughed like a maniac. "See ya, dumb fo--!"

Suddenly, someone stuck out a frying pan to knock Dylan out as Dylan collapsed on the concrete sidewalk passed out. Goat stepped into the scene with a smirk.

"You know, shortcuts are useful," Jean replied while climbing down of Goat's head.

Goad nodded his head while handcuffing Dylan and tied him against the pole. "Yep. Couldn't agree more." He shifted his glance up to notice the load in the middle of the street. He then saw the crowd gathering someone...someone he might know.

"Michael!" Goat shouted as he zoomed off, completely leaving the mouse behind.

"Michael?" Jean uttered the name.

Goat ran into the scene with a crowd surrounding Michael and whoever he just saved.

Michael was a bit dizzy from the situation and noticed a vixen laying on top of him by pure accident with blue socks worn as gloves.

"Are you okay?" The vixen asked, concern taking over her voice.

Michael nodded his head a bit. "Yeah...wait, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry...I didn't think that was going to happen," The vixen responded while rubbing her arm nervously.

"Well...they always say expect the unexpected."

"Michael!" Michael heard Goat's voice as Goat pardoned himself through the crowd. Goat had his eyes bulged out but then he sighed a bit in relief that Michael was okay.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," Both Michael and the vixen answered simultaneously to which led an awkward silence.

"Uh...I-um-was talking to Michael but...I didn't know that you're also in that situation--"

"It's fine. Sorry for the trouble," the vixen responded.

"Here, let me help you up," Goat offered his hoof intentionally to Michael but the vixen took it, thinking it was for her.

"Thank you," The vixen replied with a nod and unaware of Goat's small stern glare at her. But it quickly faded when she looked at him.

"I have to go. I can't be late. Thank you for saving me!" The vixen bid both Michael and Goat goodbye.

"Wait! I didn't catch your name!" Michael shouted as the vixen walked off.

"It's Vicky! Bye!" Vicky, the vixen, waved to Michael and Goat with her blue sock glove.

Goat furrowed his brow a bit at Vicky and then shifted to Michael while offering his hoof. "Do you still need help getting up?"

Michael took Goat's hoof with a small smile. "Thanks."

"No problem." 

_**To Be Continued...** _


	6. The Monster Within

_**Episode Six: The Monster Within** _

The portal opened into the destroyed town. Cat drove his golf cart through the portal with a thriller screech. Guy was sitting on the passenger side and Sam and Gabriella were sitting at the back. The three passengers had their eyes closed while Cat's maniacal grin faded way too quickly. Guy was the first to open his eyes to notice the ruins of a town they were supposed to visit. He had his eyes bulged out as Cat drove around the town slowly. Gabriella and Sam had their eyes opened as they gasped in complete shock. She took hold of Sam's hand, sticking as close to him as she can while staring at the ruined town.

"Huh, that's funny," Cat began, his tone wasn't whimsical or even charming anymore. It's almost sounded like it's just broken. "Last time I visited here...it was green and...clean. Mostly beautiful."

Guy blinked his eyes to see if what he's seeing was real. "It's a nuclear bomb...but...I don't get it. There shouldn't be any more bombs since Jeckles was dead. A-And I destroyed those bombs out into the ocean near Floriana. This doesn't make any sense."

Sam began to ponder about the possible reasons behind the bombs, despite his best friend destroying them out in the ocean. But then, a memory triggered in his brain. He remembered, after he and his friends were captured by Jeckles, Guy was going to be drained of his powers. He didn't pay much attention to the conversation. However, he heard McWinkle asking Jeckles about the symbol.

_"Someone else wanted the world to burn too."_

That's where it hit Sam like a ton of bricks. Jeckles vaguely answered that someone else wanted the world to burn but...who was the question? He glanced up at Guy as Guy had his eyes widened from gazing into his thoughts.

"Who do you think it was?" Guy whispered lowly to Sam.

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "I wish I knew, buddy."

Cat noticed them sharing an exchange glances at each other and then shifted his focus back ahead of him, twitching his ears with rage but not intentionally at them. His gloved hands were gripped tighter around the wheel. He took a deep inhale and then exhaled out calmly.

"Alrighty then. I don't think the hunters will expect us to hide here--"

"CAT!" Gabriella shouted while pointing at the robots hovering ahead of them.

Cat quickly veered off into the dark alleyway and hid before they get a good look at the robots. Guy and Sam were gazing at their new friends with shock and utter confusion.

"What was that for?" Guy asked Gabriella since she's the one who screamed.

Gabriella rubbed her arms a bit while biting her lip from embarrassment.

"Would you believe us if we were to tell you that those buff men in black suits aren't the only ones hunting us?" Cat asked while plastering a fake grin.

Guy raised his brow. "Is there anyone else coming after us?"

Gabriella leaned forward in her seat with Sam scooching next to her to listen.

Cat chuckled nervously. "Apparently, this town was full of those robots that we just saw. Their job was to keep this town organized and clean. I may or may not have stolen things from this place and have those robots chase after me. Let's just say that they will forever put a target on my back."

"Are they after Gabriella too?" Sam asked with concern in his tone, which surprised Gabriella for a moment.

Cat nodded his head slightly. "Well, since she's with me like you two, yes. They are after all of us."

"Oh boy," Gabriella replied while sighing. "What do we do?"

Guy looked around the ruined town. "What's the point in staying here? We have to get out of here."

"Help," A meek voice called out weakly but the group heard it. Cat exited out of his vehicle and searched through the dark alleyway. He gasped as he cupped his hands and picked up a goldfish, which seemed to be flapping a bit.

"Marlin!" Cat shouted in recognition with a bright smile.

"What? Oh no, it's you again," the fish coughed and flapped his fin. "Did you do this? I swear you're nothing but trouble--!"

"I just got here, Marls. Long time no see," Cat responded with a light-hearted chuckle.

"Alright, you know what, first off, my name is Krinklebien, okay? Karlos K. Krinklebien! And second off--"

Guy, Sam, and Gabriella were staring at Cat talking to the fish with the fish blubbering like crazy.

"Is it just me or is he talking to a...fish?" Guy questioned mostly to Gabriella.

Gabriella nodded her head a bit.

Cat took off his hat and took out a fishbowl filled with water and sand from his hat. "Here. You're going to need this."

Cat tilted his hand towards the bowl, letting the fish slide into it with a quick splash.

"Yes, freshwater! If I had to live without air for one more minute, I will surely die!" the fish inhaled deeply after he vented out his relief, with the rest of the group suddenly understanding the fish.

"You're welcome," Cat responded while tilting his hat. Sam and Gabriella decided to get out of the car and check on the fish while Guy scooched to the driver's side and got out that way since Cat had the passenger side parked against the wall of the ruined building.

"Uh, Cat, are you talking to a fish?" Sam asked with curiosity.

Cat nodded his head. "Why yes! Marlin, meet Sam I Am and Guy Am I, my two new friends. And this is Gabriella Jones, my daughter!"

"Daughter?!" Both Guy and Sam gasped simultaneously.

Gabriella nodded her head a bit. "It's a long story."

"Whoa, whoa, wait, wait...first off, since when did you ever have friends and a daughter? And second off, I just reminded you about a few seconds ago, I'm Karlos K. Krinklebien! For goodness sakes," the fish, Karlos, growled while pouting in his fishbowl.

Cat's face immediately faded from whimsy to a frown. He put his gloved hand over his chest like he's offended by the words spoken by a fish. But then smiled giddily. "Fine...I'll give you an abbreviated version of your name. KK--"

Cat froze in the middle of his sentence, realizing what the name was abbreviated by. "Um...you know what, I'll just call you Marlin."

"Or Karlos," Karlos growled while crossing his arms and pouting like a child.

Sam and Gabriella inched closer to Cat and Karlos to examine the fish while Guy waited in the cart, watching them asking questions about Cat and Karlos with a soft smile on his face.

_"Guy."_

Guy lost his smile and whipped his glance over at the lone building across from them. He raised his brow...he knew something was calling him from over there. Guy walked towards the end of the curb while peeking out to see the robots scanning the ruined buildings. He gazed off to the building across from them.

"What's going on, Guy?" He heard a voice speaking up from behind him. He turned his head to notice Cat, Karlos, Sam, and Gabriella noticing him staring at the building across from them.

Guy glanced back at the building with an exhale. "I heard something from that building over there."

Cat twitched his ear while grabbing a huge horn from his hat and put it up against his ear. "Hmm...I don't hear anything."

"Are you sure you heard something, buddy?" Sam asked Guy with a raised brow.

"I-I heard it...it called my name. And I-I don't know why," Guy stuttered while turning to Sam.

Gabriella seemed a bit determined. "We should go check it out."

"Wai-Wait! Hold on! Are we seriously going to follow something that might get us all killed?!" Karlos protested while popping out of his fishbowl to make a point.

"Well...we're all going to die eventually...hmm," Cat replied, pondering a bit. Then, something sparked in the Cat's mind as he placed Karlos's fishbowl on top of his hat. He immediately tossed the horn aside and took out his shotgun from his hat with a menacing glare at the building. "Forget it, let's chase after the voice."

"Wh-What?" Guy uttered, shocked that Cat was willing to join in the hunt.

"It's not like we got better things to do. Let's go," Cat urged as he led the group across the street. Everyone followed after him, as Guy raised his brow at Cat's determination. He took a deep breath and then followed after his friends.

~.~

The door was barricaded, causing Cat to jiggle the doorknob of the building that they were going to enter.

"Gosh dang it, we got to find a key," Cat growled.

"Okay, first off...why are we even going over here? Why can't we just walk away from this like normal people would do and not act like idiots in a horror movie?" Karlos responded from his fishbowl on Cat's hat as Cat tried to open the door.

Cat glanced up at Karlos with his hat tilted down slightly to look at the fish. "Since when are we in a horror movie? I thought we're in a Dr. Seuss world," Cat reminded the fish.

Sam raised his brow while glancing at Gabriella with confusion.

"He likes to say random things," Gabriella whispered to Sam.

"Yeah, I know...that's the Cat in the Hat I know," Sam muttered his answer with a small smile at her, making her slightly blushed.

Cat took out a couple of small pins and thrusted them into the lock, turning them to unlock the doors to the building. "We know you're in there, little voice."

"Oh geez, you're crazier than the last time we met," Karlos groaned irritably at Cat.

Guy watched Cat trying to unlock the door when they heard something crawling from inside of the lock. Suddenly, small tiny spiders crawled out of the tiny lock and began to spread throughout the door they were trying to bust in. The group had their eyes widened with complete shock as Cat stepped back quickly.

"Um...am I the only seeing this?" Cat asked his friends with a raised brow.

"Nope," Sam answered.

"I'm seeing it too, Cat," Gabriella muttered her answer.

"Definitely not," Guy joined in on answering.

"I told you guys that we shouldn't be here," Karlos chastised the group with a snarl. "Now, we got poisonous spiders."

"How do you know they're poisonous?" Cat questioned while looking up at Karlos.

"Look at them...they got fangs!" Karlos pointed out with a screech. "We shouldn't be here!"

"But we got to figure out where the voice was coming from," Gabriella indicated with some sort of determination.

"Or why only Guy heard it," Cat added while trying to figure out a way to lockpick the door without getting bitten by those tiny creepy crawlers.

An idea sparked in Guy's head. "Cat, get out of the way."

Cat perked his ears and turned his head to notice Guy holding up his hand. He stepped aside so that Guy could bust down the door with his mind.

"Okay...are you trying to get bitten here--?"

Guy used his mind powers and the push force of his opened hand to bust down the door that the spiders were crawling on, interrupting Karlos's sentence. The door flew opened and made a clattering noise into the building, causing the small spiders to scurry through the building and away from the group.

"Uh...what did I just witnessed?" Karlos uttered, a bit timid in his voice.

"Welcome to the Series of Unfortunate Events," Cat responded with a smirk. He held out his shotgun that he had been holding for a while and pointed it down the building. "Here, voicey voicey...we know you're in here."

The group walked into the dark building, their intense stares circling in the building.

_"Guy."_

Guy heard the voice again and noticed a trail of blood that seemed like it was recent. He began to wander off, investigating the trail of blood without the group noticing.

"So, where should we start?" Gabriella asked as she glanced around the building.

"Hey, Guy, where--" Sam's sentence was interrupted when Guy disappeared without a trace.

"Uh...he just--walked away," Karlos pointed out.

"Well, no duh, Marlin!" Cat shouted with panic. "Where did he run off to?"

"I-I don't know...maybe he's following whatever voice is calling him," Sam guessed. "I'll search through the hallway. I'm assuming that Guy must have gone that way."

"Alrighty then!--"

"Wait, Sam, you can't go by yourself. You could get hurt," Gabriella suggested.

"She has a point. We can't go around the place by ourselves. We might have to partner up and split into groups," Cat began with the plan. "Marls and I will go that way while you and Gabriella go that way."

"Alright," Gabriella responded with a quick nod.

Sam nodded his head with determination as both he and Gabriella explored the right hallway together.

Cat glanced up at Karlos with a wicked grin. "Let's go, Marls! Let's go find Guy!"

"First off, could you just call me, Karlos?" Karlos groaned irritably.

"No, Marlin is way better than K-Karlos. Now, let's go forth into the unknown!!!" Cat sang as he marched down the left hallway with Karlos's fishbowl resting on top of his hat.

~.~

Meanwhile, Guy roamed around the hallway, following the trail of blood he found. The halls got darker the more he explored through it. His heartbeat faster than expected as he turned a sharp left in the hallway to follow the blood, which led him to a dead end. Guy gruffed, knowing what's going to come next. He clenched his fist tightly, ready to throw a punch at a potential shadow coming up from behind him. He counted to three to himself, spun around, and threw his fist in the air...but there's no one behind him.

He widened his eyes a bit in confusion as he whipped his glance around him. He noticed that the trail of blood disappeared.

"Oh, Guy, how naive could you possibly be?" A deep voice spoke up.

Guy immediately turned his head to the voice and noticed the hooded shadowy figure. Before he could take action, the figure held out his hand at him. Guy's body began to tremble while covering his head from the headache the figure was causing him. He immediately collapsed on the floor, groaning in pain.

"What do you want from me?!" Guy barked, despite being in pain.

The figure didn't answer as Guy squeezed his eyes closed to bear the pain. When he re-opened his eyes back up, he realized that he's in a much different place. Although, he recognized this place all too well. It's in Glurfsburg of what used to be a Snerzco building. This was where he was showing off his self-flyer. Where he first briefly met Michellee. Where he failed miserably in front of the judges to much of his embarrassment. He was sitting in the exact dark corner of the waiting room where he was waited long hours to get in, clutching his briefcase tightly.

Guy immediately opened the briefcase to see his self-flyer again...but...there's nothing in his briefcase. Then, why was it with him? He tossed it aside and stood up from the green couch he had been sitting on. He strode up quickly to the front desk and searched around for a button to open the door diagonally behind the desk. He found the red button and pushed it, which the bell rang to give him access.

Guy prompted open the door and began to stroll warily into the long hallway with desks lined up on each side. One side for bean counters and the other side for pencil pushers. There was no one to count the beans and to push the pencils on the desks. He hated the eerie feeling, that feeling like something was going to go wrong. The whispers kept roaming around him, giving him chills in his spine. He reached the other side of the hallway and pushed the door opened slightly.

Guy could've sworn that he recalled the huge wooden desk that had three chairs behind it that were seated by the three sneering judges themselves. There's also that small little wooden desk with a small picture sat on the corner where he saw Michellee counting the beans when he first saw her. But the room contained none of that. It still kept the picture of Snerz in his serious pose in a golden frame. There's a stairway that led downwards below the building. Now, that's something Guy had never seen before. He slowly approached the stairway and gazed down at the darkness below.

A lump went down Guy's throat as he slowly stepped down the stairs. When he reached the bottom of the stairway, he immediately became confused about what he saw. There were lines of desks on both opposite sides of the room but they were faced towards the wall. There were microphones that let people speak into a piece of paper on the floor. The droning sound rang in Guy's ears, which made him rubbed his ear for a brief second with his shoulder. He kept his stare at the room, appalled from what he's seeing. Who were these people and why were they using these microphones? What lines were they even reciting? Before Guy could explore further into the room, the room glitched out and he had to face the darkness again.

Was the room a hallucination? Guy blinked his eyes while hearing something chattering from the darkness. He noticed that he's surrounded by webs thicker than barbed wire. He shivered in the cold as a wet stick string of web was thrown at him. It stuck to his arm, causing him to screech as more webs were thrown at him. Guy couldn't see who it was wrapping him in a web sac, but he could tell that it was a spider...probably bigger than the smaller ones he saw earlier.

~.~

Cat meandered through the hallway while humming a song. Karlos groaned irritably from his fishbowl that sat on top of his hat, with his hat being a bit flimsy.

"Could you stop humming?" Karlos groaned a bit.

Cat twitched his ears while shifting his focus up at the fish. "Would you prefer me to sing?"

"I would prefer you to be silent and take into account that someone has gone missing from our group!!" Karlos ended his sentence with a frustrated shout.

Cat chuckled at the fish's concerns. "Look on the bright side, Marls. Guy can't be too far from here...I hope."

"Uh...that doesn't sound too reassuring."

"Well, some things you can't be too sure. Unless--" Cat immediately lifted his hat for a moment off of his head and took out a small mirror. "Show me Guy."

"Uh...what?" Karlos responded with a raised brow.

"It's a magical mirror. You'll never get the reference," Cat said quickly as the mirror swirled to reveal Guy wrapped in the web sac, causing the cat himself to gasp.

"Oh...well...he's going to die--"

"Not for long!" Cat shoved the mirror back into his hat and placed his hat back on top. Cat grabbed the fishbowl while the fish wore a scared expression on his face.

"Whoa, wait, wait!! What are we doing?!"

"Rescuing a friend, Marls! You know...you should be with Sam and Gabriella for a moment," Cat replied while taking off his hat and tossed the fishbowl into it.

"WAIT--!"

Cat waited for the fishbowl to go through the portal to get to Sam and Gabriella.

~.~

Meanwhile, Gabriella and Sam searched through the other hallway. She noticed Sam deep in thought.

"Don't worry, Sam. Guy will be okay," Gabriella ignited the conversation, almost like she knew what Sam was concerned about.

Sam snapped out of his trance and sighed a bit. "Sorry...I guess...the more I see Guy wandering off and...having these nightmares, the more I'm getting worried about him. I don't know if that's caused by his powers or if there's something that traumatized him. I had no idea...I wished I knew what's going on...maybe there's more I could do to help."

Gabriella smiled softly at Sam. "I think you being here with Guy when he needed you most is the most important thing to ever ask for. You know, Guy needs people like you...well, I think everyone needs people like you. To always stick up for them...even when things get hard."

"Yeah." Sam took in what Gabriella said, which brought a question to his mind. "So...how was being The Cat in the Hat's daughter? I mean...why did he call you daughter...?"

"Cat found me when I was a baby...it wasn't in the orphanage or in a foster home."

"W-Where did he find you?"

Gabriella stopped in her tracks while gazing off sadly. Sam jerked to a stop after she froze in position. He noticed her tears streaming down on her face.

"He found me in an alleyway...in a trash bin," Gabriella answered hesitantly, rubbing her arm while wiping away the tears from her face.

Sam gasped a bit. "I-I'm so sorry."

"I don't know if it's the safe place...or it's just that my parents didn't want me anymore...but Cat found me and took me in. He raised me as one of his own. Thing 1 and Thing 2 were my brothers...until...they were dead."

"I'm surprised Cat didn't grieve for them--"

"He did...They were like his children...of course, he grieved for them."

"Oh...sorry--"

"No, it's okay. Cat is actually really good at suppressing his emotions--that's why you probably didn't notice it."

"Then, how did you know he grieved for them?"

Gabriella looked around the hallway and leaned into Sam's face. "When he thinks he's alone...he would break down and cry...by himself. He would call out their names and wished that they would come back. I didn't stand there for too long and when I tried comforting him...he would always put that hat back on and faked a grin, which didn't convince me. It's hard to get him to speak up about his emotions when he's been so good about masking them for so long. The only emotions that were real are his brokenness and love--at least the love he had for me as a daughter. Still, he faked a smile."

_**Sam frowned a bit, remembering back of all the aliases and the identities he had to disguise and getting to the point where he couldn't tell who he really was. But now...since he had a real family and home, he didn't necessarily think about ever masking himself ever again.** _

"I know what that's like," Sam uttered a bit, with sympathy in his tone. The portal randomly opened up above them as Karlos fell through the portal in his fishbowl. Luckily, Sam caught the fishbowl as the portal closed up.

"What's going on, Karlos?" Sam questioned quickly.

"Cat just threw me into the portal and...your friend, Guy...I think he's in trouble," Karlos responded urgently, blinking constantly to get his mind straight.

"Where's Guy and Cat?!" Gabriella asked immediately with concern.

"I-I don't know!" Karlos shouted his answer, a little frustrated with the situation.

"Then, we have to help them!" Sam determined while setting his focused gaze on Gabriella. "Come on!"

Both Sam and Gabriella sprinted further down the hall while Sam was carrying the fishbowl that Karlos was in.

~.~

Guy growled while being wrapped in the web sac. He felt something reawakening in him but it wasn't anger or anything. His hands were glowing as he burst through the thick webs, pushing the humongous spider back away from him. He breathed in and out heavily, his eyes glowing brightly for some reason. The spider screeched and threw webs at the orange-furred knox, who put up his hands to use as a blockade. He moved the webs aside while noticing quickly the sharp tip of the rock beneath it from the ceiling above.

Guy instantly put up a wall at the spot, knowing where the spider was going to be stabbed at with careful calculation. He held up his hand to hold the spider in its place while trying to shake the huge rock above the spider to let it fall. However, when he's shaking the rock...he realized that he's shaking the entire building. More spiders crawled out of their hiding spots but they weren't as huge as the monster in front of him. But there were multiple of them coming up to him. Guy couldn't do anything to defend himself. He had to keep the giant spider in the exact location while trying to get the rock to fall.

Suddenly, a gunshot was heard as a bullet crashed into the spider closest to him. Guy whipped his glance behind him for a quick second to realize that it's the Cat in the Hat with a shotgun in his hand.

"I got your back, Guy! Keep doing what you are doing!" Cat instructed as he marched in between Guy and the army of spiders.

Guy nodded his head in understanding while continuing what he was doing. He closed his eyes tightly as Cat kept firing his gun at the spiders.

"Come and get it, you freaks!" Cat bellowed as he bashed one of the spiders' head and then shot it, letting its green blood splash all over his black and white fur. One of the spiders used a string of web to take the gun away from Cat's grasp.

Cat had his eyes bulged out in complete shock and then gave that spider a glare. "Well, two could play that game."

Cat stuffed his wrists into his hat and then pulled out web-shooters. Using the ILY hand sign, he shot out webs at the spiders, throwing them around and tossing them into each other. However, he soon realized that more was coming at him and they were just too many to fight all by himself. Even Guy himself realized this but he couldn't do anything to help Cat.

Guy wasn't aware that there was another spider coming up behind him. Before the spider could strike at him, Sam appeared out of nowhere and tackled the spider behind him. Both Sam and the spider tumbled away from Guy, as Guy changed his sights to see Sam facing the spider by himself. Gabriella was the one holding the fishbowl while standing there idly in the doorway. She glanced at Karlos, who seemed frightened by all this.

"I'm sorry, Karlos, but I got to use you," Gabriella warned Karlos.

"Okay, okay...wait, what?!"

Before Karlos could say anything, Gabriella thrusted him into the spider in front of Sam. The spider was knocked over as Gabriella grabbed the spear from her right that she found and charged at it, using its fall as the advantage. She jabbed the spider in the abdomen and flipped herself over to where Sam was.

Sam's eyes became enlarged when he witnessed Gabriella taking action.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Gabriella asked while holding out her hand for Sam to grab.

Sam grabbed her hand immediately as she helped him up. "Yeah! I'm fine!"

Cat suddenly noticed both Sam and Gabriella. "Sam! Gabriella!" 

The cat pulled out more weapons from his hat. One of them being a sledgehammer and the other one be a rifle. "Here! Take these!" 

Cat tossed the weapons to both Sam and Gabriella. Gabriella took the sledgehammer and Sam snatched the rifle in his grasp. They both joined the fight, protecting Guy from the incoming army of spiders.

Karlos just watched with eyes widening in pure confusion and shock.

Guy used all of his mental strength to take down the rock while holding the giant spider in its place. He screamed out, with his head hurting from using too much of his strength. The rock finally was cut off and collapsed on top of the giant spider that was held in place. The giant spider collapsed on the floor, dead. The remaining army of spiders was killed by Cat, Sam, and Gabriella. The rest of the spiders didn't dare to come out of the holes they were hiding.

Cat flinched his ears a bit. "Hmm...I guess Guy killed the alpha. So, Guy--"

Guy collapsed on his knees, his body trembling from using too much of his powers.

"Guy!" Sam shouted as he knelt beside his best friend to see if he's okay.

"I-I'm okay," Guy muttered, trying to stay awake.

"We got to get you out of here," Gabriella responded while putting Guy's arm around her nape. "Sam, help me."

"Okay," Sam uttered while putting Guy's arm around his shoulders. "Okay, buddy, we got to get you out of here."

"I'll help too," Cat offered when he ducked underneath Guy's arm next to Sam and helped him stand up. "Let him lean on me, guys."

"Are you sure?" Gabriella questioned.

"Yeah," Cat answered as Sam and Gabriella let go of Guy so that Cat could help him walk. "Can you walk, Guy?"

"I-I don't know...I can try," Guy muttered, his words becoming a slur. Gabriella picked Karlos's fishbowl, who still had the look of pure shock.

"What are we going to do?!" Karlos exclaimed with panic in his tone.

Suddenly, a group of robots busted through the building to find them standing there.

"Uh oh," Sam uttered, standing in front of Gabriella to protect her from those robots.

The robots just stood in front of them, glaring at them with red lights beaming in the room dark room.

"Hand him over!" The robot ordered, pointing at Guy.

"No!" Cat responded defiantly.

"Rejoice!" A voice spoke over the robots as a purple-furred knox priest came through the crowd of robots with a necklace that had the familiar cursed circular symbol with two snakes crossing each other like an X. Guy widened his eyes...lately he's been seeing the symbol everywhere in his hallucination and his nightmares. Was it supposed to mean something? Guy began to grow faint just thinking about that symbol. He groaned a little in pain.

"Death is not the end!" The priest finished his sentence, causing Guy to flinch.

Sam held his best friend's hand. "Buddy, is everything okay?"

"Of course not...there's something developing inside of him and you won't understand what it is," The priest pointed out. "Now, why don't you hand him over along with yourselves, hm? I promise...no harm will come to any of you if you cooperate."

"Uh...in your dreams, pal! There's no way we're handing Guy over to you!" Cat snarled with clenched teeth in anger. "You're going to experiment on him just like what you did with everyone else! I won't let you have him!"

Sam raised his brow at Cat and glanced over at Gabriella and Karlos, to which both of them seemed genuinely confused at Cat's reaction.

"Oh, Cat, if only you showed that much fierce protection for Thing One and Thing Two," the priest responded with a sly smile.

Everyone stood there in dead silence. Cat, however, chuckled at the priest lightly.

"'Oh, Cat, if only you showed that much fierce protection for Thing One and Thing Two. Meh, meh, meh'," Cat mimicked and mocked the priest with a stupid grin on his face. Suddenly, almost like a flip of a switch, his grin was quickly lost while pulling a handgun out of nowhere with a serious deadpanned glare at the priest. He pulled the trigger and a couple of bullets crashed into the priest's chest, causing both Gabriella, Karlos, and Sam to yelp in surprise.

The priest crashed onto the floor with blood pooling around him.

"Oh, Mr. Priest, if only you knew your religion is stupid," Cat replied while putting his gun away. "Now, if you'll excuse us. We got places to go...people to see. Bye-Bye." Cat took out a smoke grenade and let the smoke go off in front of them. By the time the robots charged at the group...they were already gone. 

~.~

Goat and Michael, with Jean on his shoulder, took the fox criminal, Dylan, into the interrogation room in the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S. precinct. Michael sat Dylan down on the chair across from the two chairs and cuffed him onto the metal table.

"You thought that you could escape from us, huh, punk?" Goat growled while walking over to the table that had a pitcher of water and a plastic cup. He poured the water pitcher into the cup.

"I would've if it weren't for the fact that you hit me in the head with a frying pan!" Dylan growled aggressively at Goat as Michael sat across from him.

"Look, Dylan, you almost got a couple of people killed out there in the street," Michael pointed out the criminal's mistake.

Dylan hardened his glare at Michael. "I was aiming for you! And you ducked your head! Uh...I don't recall me intentionally hurting someone in the middle of the street. It was an accident."

Goat poured something in the cup of water with a small smirk.

Michael furrowed his brow. "Well, that accident almost got someone killed."

"You know, I wouldn't mind if it took your life--"

Goat immediately slammed the cup of water on the desk in front of Dylan, scaring him. Goat gave the fox criminal an angry glare while flicking his ears. "I'll kill you if you ever said that again."

Michael gasped in complete shock and confusion at his partner. "Goat...chill."

Goat huffed a bit while shaking his head and sat next to Michael, keeping his glare at Dylan. "Look here, amigo, we're not here so that you can bash at my friend for whatever past reasons you have against him. We're here because maybe you're the link to our case."

"I thought you already solved your case," Dylan responded, crossing his arms.

"With you, yes...with something else new...we figured you're the one who will help us figure out what to do." Goat took out a picture of a man in a lab coat and mask with three scopes. There's a tiny microscopic golden pin attached to his lab coat.

Dylan lost his glare and his eyes became enlarged by the sight of the photo with pure horror.

"This man is known as the Biologist. He's a mass murderer that killed animals and knoxes alike. Dissected them into bits and pulled their guts out. This man committed a lot more crimes than you realized. However...we noticed a little detail," Goat explained while Dylan gazed at the golden pin, that was circled by a red sharpie pen.

"That pin had the symbol that looked exactly like that sweet tattoo on your paw...so...you must have some connection with the Biologist," Goat continued to explain while keeping his glare at Dylan.

"I never knew this man," Dylan immediately denied, sweating profusely. "I swear I never knew of him."

Before anyone could say anything, Dylan drank the water out of the cup while licking his lips to stay hydrated.

"Are you sure you don't know this man?" Goat asked, showing off a small smirk.

"No, I'm sure I know this man completely," Dylan blurted it out and then his eyes went wide.

Michael and Jean slowly glanced at Goat, who's smirking at Dylan.

"What the heck?!" Dylan shouted while checking his empty cup.

"I slipped in the truth serum into your drink. A classic trick that any agent in this precinct would use on a stubborn criminal. Don't worry...it'll only last a day. Now--" Goat pushed the photo of the Biologist. "--talk."

Dylan tried to resist the urge to speak the truth.

Goat smirked a bit more, knowing that both he and Michael were gaining the upper hand. "There's no point in resisting it, compadre. Believe me, I know."

Dylan growled at Goat. "Fine. I know the Biologist. But I don't work for him...and that man ain't no man...he's a yipping machine."

"Machine...? Alright, then who's the real boss behind the Biologist?" Michael persisted with the questions.

"I-I don't know the real boss's name. All I know is that I'm supposed to steal eggs for him and that's it. I knew the Biologist...he ain't worth messing around with. In fact, you three should leave this case alone."

Jean arched his brow while crossing his arm. "Why?"

"Because--this case is much bigger than you think. More intricate and complicated. It's best if you all stay ignorant," Dylan responded, his tone becoming desperate.

"Where did you get that tattoo?" Goat asked, flicking his ears a bit.

"From Darrell's Bar...it's out in the country," Dylan responded, twitching his head a bit while groaning a bit in pain. "There's a tattoo artist named Daniel Stargood. He might be able to provide more information than what I can give you...I can't believe you used this stupid truth serum on me!"

"I know that bar. I don't have any good reputation in there," Goat recalled, remembering all of those men he had to beat down. That's where he received a mission to steal the chickeraffe from Sam and Guy and delivered straight to Mr. Snerz.

Michael twitched his ears suddenly while moaning a bit in pain. Goat noticed this with a raised brow.

"Is everything okay, Michael?" Goat asked, concern taking over his voice.

"Y-You hear that too?" Dylan stuttered with his sights focused on Michael, his head twitching some more.

"Hear what? What's going on?!" Goat interrogated Dylan immediately.

"I-I've said too much!" Dylan barked while covering his ears. Michael began to cover his head while burying his face on the table.

Goat quickly connected the dots and patted Michael on the shoulder so that his fox partner could look up at him. "Michael, get out of this room. Before it gets worse."

"A-Alright," Michael uttered while hearing nothing but screeching sounds that seemed to torture him. The fox got up from his seat with Jean still seated on his shoulder. That's when it got worst.

Michael stumbled onto the ground while Dylan cried out in pain. Goat and Jean became confused. Jean climbed down from Michael's shoulder and examined him.

"What's going on, mon ami?!" Jean shouted his question at Michael.

"It's the fox whistle!" Michael answered loudly.

"The what?!" Goat questioned as Dylan's eyes snapped open from being shut for a quick moment. His eyes were pure red as he ripped the chains off of the table and flipped it over to charge at Goat.

Goat raised his arms to defend himself as Dylan pinned him against the wall.

"Goat!" Michael screamed out for his partner, noticing that his partner was getting attacked by the fox criminal.

"Dylan, snap out of it!" Goat barked at Dylan.

Dylan took out his razor-sharp claws and dug them into Goat's stomach, causing Goat to yelp in pain. Goat kicked Dylan off of him, causing a small piece of his flesh to tear off. He clenched teeth in pain as Dylan picked up the table he just threw away and attempted to thrust it at Goat. Luckily, Goat dodged it by rolling out of the way and then he charged at Dylan to put him down.

"Dylan! What's going on with you?!" Goat interrogated as Dylan punched him in the face.

Michael glanced up just in time to witness Goat getting punched in the face by Dylan with tears in his eyes. "GOAT!!!"

Goat had a bruised eye from getting punched so many times. Then, Dylan took out his claws and was about to slash at his face until Goat put his hoof into his palm.

"Stop this, amigo!" Goat yelled as Dylan was pushing his weight on his hand that was on Goat's hoof and shoved him on his knees. Goat growled to use his strength to resist the fox criminal's attack.

Michael began to hear voices around him.

_"Aren't you that stupid fox that let his own friend die?"_

_"You're too stupid to even stand up for someone you cared about."_

_"He's going to die because of you."_

Michael gritted his teeth, while tears were streaming down on his cheeks.

"Michael?" Jean called out softly, confused about what to do with this situation.

Michael sniffled and squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled out his handgun from his holster that he had to wear since he's in the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S force. "SHUT UP!!!"

That's when the fox himself pulled the trigger, letting a couple of bullets fly across the room. But the bullets didn't miss. Dylan stopped pushing his weight on Goat as his eyes were back to normal. There's blood trickling down on the side of his head while a sprinkle of the fox criminal's blood landed on Goat's face. Goat broadened his eyes in complete shock as Dylan's blood oozed out his skull some more.

Dylan slowly turned to Michael, who just reopened his eyes. Then his pupils shrunk in horror. Michael's lip trembled...having no words to explain himself.

Dylan pointed his finger at Michael, also horrified himself. "Y-You shot me."

That's when Dylan collapsed on the floor, blood pooling around his warm body.

Goat shifted his focus on Michael, who dropped the gun and his tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Oh my gosh...WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?" Michael shouted his questions, crying.

Goat immediately bolted to Michael and hugged him tightly. "Shh. Shh, it's going to be okay, zorro--"

"I just shot him! I just--I just--ugh...I didn't mean to!" Michael sobbed into Goat's shoulder.

"Calm down, Michael. Calm down," Goat soothed while hearing footsteps running into the interrogation room.

Jean, who's witnessing the whole thing, just stood there idly. Then, a familiar someone with red fur barged into the room.

"Murray?" Jean recognized instantly as Murray glanced around the room.

"Oh, my Seuss! What the yip happened here?! Who shot him?!" Murray interrogated both Goat and Michael.

"Was it the fox?!" Murray pointed at Michael. "I knew foxes could have monstrous intentions, especially towards each other--!"

Goat breathed in and out heavily as he discreetly took Michael's gun. "It was me."

Michael perked his ears up while whipping his glance up at Goat.

"W-What?" Murray inquired.

"Don't you see the blood on my face? I did it," Goat took the blame while holding out a gun. "I shot him in self-defense. As well as for both Michael and Jean's sakes."

"G-Goat, what are you doing?" Michael uttered his question.

"Then, why is the fox scared?" Murray pointed at Michael.

Goat stared at Murray sternly. "Because he has never seen anyone slaughtered before...it dramatized him."

"Alright...well...the Big Man heard the commotion. If you're the one responsible for what happened, then go talk to him," Murray instructed calmly. Jean twitched his muzzle while glancing back up at Goat.

"Okay," Goat responded as Murray exited out of the room, presumably to call the hospital.

"G-Goat, why are you taking the blame?" Michael inquired, stuttering. "It's not even your fault."

_**In all honesty, Goat didn't know why he took the blame. There are a million reasons to take the blame for Michael. One of them could be the fact that Michael stated once that people saw him as a monster. Maybe he wanted Michael to not be looked at as a monster by the force. Or it's probably due to the fact that Goat had done these actions before...so, it was expected for him to do something like that...as for Michael...Michael would never hurt a soul and he if does hurt someone, he wouldn't mean to. Maybe it's because Michael was scared...or Goat was scared for Michael to place that guilt over his heart. But, there's another reason...another reason that was way more than what meets the eye. Maybe he saw Michael more than just a friend or a best friend.** _

Goat stood up to his fours and walked out of the interrogation room, leaving Michael and Jean more confused.

~.~

Goat entered the Big Man's office and shut the door quietly behind him. The Big Man, who's just a short red-furred man, stood on his wooden desk. He gazed softly at Goat.

"Have a seat, Goat," The Big Man gestured the wooden chair in front of the desk as Goat sat on it. "You know you're here, right?"

"Of course...are you going to fire me?"

"No...you're one of the best agents we got. What you did was justified...unless...you didn't really do it."

Goat glanced up at the Big Man, confused. "What do you mean, sir?"

The Big Man turned on the cameras for the interrogation room that showed Michael shooting his gun at Dylan.

"You didn't really do it...you lied. Why did you lie, Goat?" The Big Man questioned, crossing his small arms.

Goat lowered his head and gazed at the wooden floor, trying to think of a solid reason that he did that.

"Well?" The Big Man inquired after a brief pause of silence.

"He's-He's my friend, sir. I don't want anyone in this agency to look at Michael as a monster. He already had enough people looking at him like that...he doesn't need his reputation to be thrown down in the toilet since he took a shot to save my life."

The Big Man had his eyes widened a bit in realization. "Something tells me that he meant something more to you than a friend. You know what foxes are capable of, right, Goat?"

"You weren't in there when Michael shot Dylan...Both of the foxes were in pain...they couldn't fight back whatever is causing them to be violent. Michael just told both me and Jean about the fox whistle...I don't know what that is but I think it might have something to do with happened in the interrogation room."

"So, that means that it's controlled...whatever happened in there...something was causing it."

"Yes."

The Big Man sighed deeply. "I will have to suspend you both. Just for a couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks? But, sir, we need to solve that case--"

"Let Jean take over. I'm sure he got the information he needed to continue on with the investigation." The Big Man paused for a moment and then sighed. "This is the best thing I could do for both you and Michael. Mostly for Michael. Mind control can take a lot of impact from the brain. He'll have plenty of rest and time to fully understand what's going on."

Goat pondered about it, knowing that Michael's health was more important than that case. He glanced up at The Big Man.

"Okay." 

_**To Be Continued...** _


	7. Friends in High Places

**_Episode Seven: Friends in High Places_ **

Michael sat on the curb outside of the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S. precinct with a blue blanket wrapped around him that a couple of paramedics gave him. The paramedics just took Dylan, the fox criminal that he shot, to the hospital. His gaze was set on the blacktop streets, tears running down on his cheeks. Jean, the mouse, was sitting on the fox’s shoulder while patting his friend’s cheek.

“Don’t think about it too much, mon ami,” Jean soothed, comforting in his tone. 

Michael sighed heavily with grief. “I-I just murdered my own kind, Jean...and-and Goat took the blame for something that he didn’t do. Why would he even do that?”

“Because he cared about you...as a friend...I think.” 

They heard hooves clattering up to them, knowing that it’s Goat who’s approaching them. Michael turned around to see Goat with a sad look on his face.

“Jean,” Goat began, his voice lowered. “You’ll handle the case from here. You got leads that will be able to help you.” 

Jean bulged his eyes out wide. “Wait, are you guys--?”

“We’re only suspended for a couple of weeks,” Goat reassured Jean. “We’ll come back to work...eventually.” 

Michael took in what Goat said, pondering. “I should’ve been the one that was suspended. Why did you take the blame for me, Goat?” 

Goat twisted his mouth while gazing down at the ground. “I just...didn’t want anyone to think of you as a monster. You told me in the past that people always saw you as a monster and-and I don’t want anyone to look at you like that anymore. I just want you to be accepted instead of being stereotyped because you’re a fox.” 

Michael gazed at Goat softly. “Goat...I could care less about what other people think. I mean...yeah, I had some people looking at me like that or even screamed at me...but...that’s until I met you.”

Goat raised his brow in surprise. “What about Guy--?”

Michael smiled and laughed a little. “Guy and Sam were scared of me the first time they met me...and they did have a good reason to. Back then, they did have a good reason.”

Michael frowned at remembering that stupid farmer fox...but...now things changed. “Guy rescued me from prison because he saw me as a friend because he got to know me. And when we met...you weren’t scared of me at first sight. You’re probably the first person who didn’t see me as a monster.” 

“Do you want to know why I didn’t see you as a monster, Michael?” Goat inquired, sitting next to Michael.

Michael nodded his head while scooting closer to his friend. 

Goat exhaled slowly while staring out into the streets. “Because I’ve done worst things with horrible intentions than what you did back in the interogation room. In the past, I-I was the monster...I abducted and killed animals. I would kill anyone who stood in my way, even if there were women and children in it. I would steal, lie...all kinds of horrible crimes that you could ever imagine. Michael, you were raised in a good environment and you are a good person. I don’t know if you ever killed anyone but by your reaction when you shot Dylan...you never killed anyone before. You never committed horrible acts or--”

“I tore up the sofas in my hole and steal all the eggs.”

Goat chuckled and glanced at Michael. “That’s just because eggs are delicious.”

“Right?! They are so good!”

Goat smiled warmly at Michael for a moment but then sighed. “What I’m trying to say, Michael, is that I’ve done worst things...and I’ve seen myself as a monster.” 

“But...you’re not a monster,” Michael uttered. “I mean, you don’t do that stuff anymore...right?”

Goat nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, right.”

“You’ve changed but...what if that stupid fox whistle happened again and I can’t make better judgments? What if I ended up hurting either you or Jean?” Michael threw the questions. “Just because I haven’t done the things you’ve done--”

“Michael, Michael, the things I’ve done were not controlled...it’s free will. You, on the other hand, are controlled by whatever that thing told you to do.” 

Michael sighed. “You have a point.”

Goat pondered for a moment. “Do you have a home to go back to?”

“I-I don’t want to go home...I’m too scared to go home,” Michael responded.

“You can stay at my place,” Goat offered automatically...then cleared his throat. “If you want to.”

“That-That sounds nice.” 

Goat noticed Jean listening to the conversation. “Jean...you can go back to the precinct--”

“No.”

Goat and Michael had their eyes bulged out wide.

Jean crossed his arms. “You both are my partners. I will not solve this case without you guys.”

Goat arched a brow. “Meaning...?”

“Meaning that I will wait for you guys.” 

“Uh...okay,” Michael muttered. 

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go home to my wife and my daughter. I’ll catch up with both of you later.” 

“See you.”

“Bye!” Michael responded as Jean headed away from them. 

Goat and Michael exchanged glances at each other. 

“Ready to go?” Goat asked while standing on all fours.

Michael nodded his head. “Yeah.” 

~.~ 

Goat opened the door to his one-room apartment with his keys, revealing to be only a huge living room and a small kitchen. There’s no television or anything that would entertain anyone. Michael looked around the apartment with awe. 

“It’s not much but at least it puts a roof over our heads,” Goat uttered as he set the keys down on the wooden small table next to the doorway and shut the door. Michael explored the living room and noticed the big sofa that could fit two people on it. 

“Ooh, sofa,” Michael gasped as he jumped on top of it and snuggled it. “Wow...this is super comfortable.”

Goat smiled softly at the fox. “I’m glad you like it, zorro.” Then he frowned and glanced around his small apartment. “If I get paid more...maybe I’ll buy someplace better and nicer than here.”

“This place seems comfy to me.”

“Well, it has spiders, cobwebs, leaks, and...mold. It’s not the nicest apartment to live in.” 

“Oh...well, I got those too...except mold,” Michael responded, trying to relate to Goat’s living conditions. 

Goat chuckled. “Trust me, amigo...I live in worst conditions than this...this is durable.”

Michael rolled over the big sofa with a satisfied sigh. “It’s still comfy.”

“Hmph,” Goat responded with a smirk and then circled around to lay down on his side. 

The fox noticed his goat partner laying on the floor instead of on the sofa. “Aren’t you going to sleep on the sofa?”

“Nah, I’ll sleep on the floor. Goodnight.” 

Michael looked at the big sofa, knowing that it could easily fit both him and Goat, and scooted himself over to the other side. He grabbed the pillows on the sofa and build a pillow wall in the middle of the sofa. 

Goat bent his ears to listen to the commotion behind him and then turned his head to glance at the fox. “What are you doing, zorro?” 

“Building a pillow wall,” Michael presented the small pillow wall with a childish grin. “That way I don’t roll on top of you and you don’t roll on top me. We got pillows to stop us from rolling on top of each other.”

Goat twitched his brow at the small pillow wall. “I don’t think that will--”

Michael patted the empty spot. “Come on, please. You deserve to be comfortable.”

“No! No, you’re taking the sofa. You’re the guest. I’ll sleep on the floor and--”

Goat suddenly noticed Michael using his big puppy eyes while biting his bottom lips with a dog whimper. 

Goat arched his brow higher. “What are you doing? Why are you doing that?”

Michael folded his hands as if he’s pleading Goat to sleep on the sofa with him. 

“No! That’s not going to convince me!” Goat flat-out denied the tactic Michael was using. “No! I’m not falling for that--!” 

Seconds later, Goat laid on top of the sofa with Michael with pillows divided between them.

Goat had his arms crossed with a small pout. “I can’t believe I fell for that.” 

“See? Now you’re comfortable,” Michael explained with a grin and then turned his back on the pillows and Goat. “Goodnight.”

Goat smiled softly at him for a brief moment and then turned his back on the fox. “Goodnight, Michael.” 

With that said, Michael fell asleep but Goat stayed awake. Thoughts have been running through his mind that kept him up. Of course, he had the main reason why he didn’t fall back asleep. Every time Goat fell asleep, he always saw his family in the fire...and he had to watch them be burned alive all over again. It’s not something new. It just happened all throughout his life. So, Goat tried his best to not fall asleep but every once and awhile, his body would put him to sleep if he didn’t sleep for too long. 

Two hours passed by and Goat still didn’t fall asleep. His eyes were becoming droopy, tempting him to close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep. However, he heard a whimpering behind him. He turned his head quickly to notice Michael tossing and turning while shedding tears and whimpering.

“Michael?” Goat called out softly. 

“I-I’m so sorry,” Michael uttered with his eyes sealed tight and tears gushing out.

Goat threw the pillows out of his way and hugged Michael. “It’s okay, amigo. It’s just a nightmare.” 

Michael held onto Goat unconsciously, crying into his shoulder. That shocked Goat before realizing that Michael had a tight hold on him. But, surprisingly, Goat didn’t mind it. It felt nice to hug someone that needed comfort. Or was it something more? It didn’t matter to Goat, at least his partner knew that he’s right there...even when he slept. Little did he know, Goat slowly fell asleep while holding Michael. Michael stopped whimpering in his sleep and Goat just fell asleep while holding the fox. 

The morning arrived finally as both of the fox and the goat were both holding each other close unconsciously while laying on the big sofa. Unexpectantly, Jean crawled through the small hole in the big living room across from them, unaware of Goat and Michael sleeping on the same sofa. 

“Man, your address is hard to find. I didn’t know that your first initial had the letter A in it and Goat was your last name--” Jean stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Goat having his back turned on Jean. The mouse looked around the living room for Michael but Michael wasn’t anywhere. He climbed up to the bedside table by the sofa and saw that Michael was laying with Goat on the sofa. 

The mouse had his eyes bulged out wide and cleared his throat. “Uh...guys. D-Do you want me to come back another time?” 

Both Goat and Michael were still sleeping. Jean crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, not knowing that there’s mold behind him. The wallpaper was torn open, causing the mouse to fall through the wallpaper. With an irritable groan, he climbed through the wallpaper and towards the ceiling. Suddenly, the ceiling was busted through as Jean was hanging onto a single black wire above both Goat and Michael. 

“Um...guys?” Jean uttered while watching them hugging each other without noticing. The mouse twitched his ears and scratched the dust and dandruff off of his head, letting them fall on Goat. Goat twitched his muzzle with a quiet sneeze. He fluttered his eyes open and realized that he’s been holding onto Michael. Goat glanced up at the ceiling from where he felt the dust and dandruff fall from and saw Jean hanging upside down with a brow raised and arms crossed. 

The mouse smirked at both Goat and Michael. 

Goat scooched out of Michael’s loose hold and glared at the mouse. “This is not what it looks like, amigo.”

“I’m not making judgments...I’ll keep it a secret for you if you don’t want me to--”

“Whatever you are implying, it does not look anything like that,” Goat growled lowly as he got off the sofa and grabbed the blanket to cover Michael, who’s curling up like a little cute ball. Jean let go of the wire and landed on top of Goat’s head while itching his head to get the dust and dandruff out of his fur. 

“You need to fix your apartment, mon ami,” Jean commented while dusting himself off and not noticing that it’s on Goat’s head now.

“Agh! Now you’re getting dust and dandruff on me, amigo,” Goat snarled while walking to the kitchen. 

“You brought this upon yourself,” Jean stated plainly. 

Goat rolled his eyes while looking through the fridge. “Is there any reason why you’re here? Just to say hi or something?”

“Yes and no. I actually found something last night.”

“I thought you’re waiting for us to help solve the case.”

“It’s not about the case actually,” Jean stated while scurrying off of Goat and climbed onto the table. 

“Then...what is it about?” Goat asked as he got out the green egg carton and placed it on the counter. 

Jean took a deep breath in and then exhaled slowly while taking out a small folder. “I know something about the fox whistle.” 

“Huh?” Goat turned around to notice the small file. Jean opened the file in front of him so that he could look into it. However, the print and the paper were super small, which Goat couldn’t read. 

Goat flicked his ears in irritation and then took out his reading glasses so that he could read the information better. However, it didn’t help.

“I can’t read this, amigo,” Goat informed sternly. 

Jean sighed a bit. “The fox whistle apparently works on foxes.”

“No duh,” Goat muttered underneath his breath.

“Apparently...the fox whistle isn’t like a dog whistle where it makes the dog stop doing the things they weren’t supposed to do...in fact, it does the polar opposite.”

“By...what?”

“Remember how Dylan and Michael acted out yesterday?” 

Goat nodded his head slightly.

“The fox whistle could drive a fox absolutely mad to the point of outbreak and violence. Basically, most foxes were convicted of murder because of the fox whistle. Their testimonies stated that they heard something...like a well of screams, a screeching sound, and whispers.”

“Whispers?” 

“Yeah.”

“What’s with the whispers? What do they say to those foxes?” 

“I don’t know, mon ami.”

“I-I heard whispers,” A voice stuttered which caused both Jean and Goat to glance up at Michael. 

“Michael, you’re awake!” Jean exclaimed happily. 

Goat arched his brow at his fox partner. “How much of the conversation did you hear?”

“I heard the whole thing about the fox whistle...I-I don’t know when to step in,” Michael uttered with a nervous chuckle. 

“At least you heard the whole thing,” Jean responded while clearing his throat. “I actually have some reports that stated about the crimes committed by foxes. The first one we got was from a vixen named Vicky and--oh, dang,” Jean uttered while reading one of the reports.

“Wait for a minute, I know Vicky...she’s that vixen I saved the other day while chasing after Dylan!” Michael blurted out while his tail was wagging in excitement.

“Ah yes, the vixen,” Goat droned a bit while sighing deeply. “What does she have to do with anything?”

“Well, she worked at Darrell’s Bar,” Jean pointed out as a matter of factly tone.

Michael widened his eyes in shock. “That’s where Dylan said to go to question the tattoo artist named...uh, Stargood or--?”

“Daniel Stargood...hmph.” Goat huffed while pondering deeply. “This case doesn’t look like it can wait two or three weeks to be solved. Dylan was right. This case will become more complicated the further we explore into it.”

“I want to solve this case,” Michael blurted out his determination. 

Both the mouse and the goat gazed up at Michael in shock.

“Are you sure, zorro--?”

“Look, I know what happened back in the interrogation room and I know that we’re suspended. But I can’t just sit around and do nothing while a case is just lying around unsolved. We got to solve it or something bad will happen...I don’t know but my gut feeling is telling me that we have to solve this before things get worst.”

“I concur with Michael,” Jean responded to the fox’s statements. “So...here’s what we’ll do.” 

The three animals leaned in to hear out the plan that Jean was about to speak.

~.~ 

A knock came from the door to the mechanics' shop. Apparently, the mechanics' shop was closed but Dave, Guy’s oldest brother, went to answer it anyway. He cautiously opened the door, knowing there’s something wrong with the outside world. It revealed to be Sam, Gabriella, Karlos, Cat, and Guy, with the streets of Stovepipe behind them. Guy was leaning into Cat’s side while Cat gave a wide plastered smile at Dave. Karlos stared up at Dave from his fishbowl, noticing his muscles with Gabriella holding the fishbowl. 

Dave became wide-eyed when he noticed his little brother on the verge of passing out. 

Sam stepped forward to him. “Dave, we need someplace to hide for a while. I don’t know if we should involve your parents--”

“Come in,” Dave insisted immediately and urgently while helping Guy into the mechanics' shop with Sam following them.

Cat and Gabriella walked in with them, their faces were written with confusion as Gabriella shut the door behind them. The group walked into the living room of the shop while Dave placed Guy on the couch. 

“You guys shouldn’t be here...well, maybe you shouldn’t be anywhere,” Dave uttered while turning to face Sam, Gabriella, Karlos, and Cat. 

“So, we shouldn’t exist? That’s a mean thing to say,” Cat responded while crossing his arms with a pout.

“Why would you say that?” Sam questioned softly, raising his brow.

Dave scratched the back of his head while gazing at Guy, who’s trying to stay awake. “You guys are in the news everywhere...apparently...you guys are criminals.”

“Well, that’s not a shock to anyone,” Cat droned a bit. “Can we hear something new?”

Gabriella shook her head for a moment. “Wait, wait...but we haven’t done anything wrong.”

Jeffrey strode into the room urgently. “Dave, there’s--”

Jeffrey froze when he saw Cat. Cat nervously waved at Jeffrey.

“Why...hello there,” Cat responded awkwardly.

Jeffrey placed his head against his hand with a deep sigh. “Don’t tell me that you guys are with the Cat in the Hat.”

“You know, I’m right in front of you,” Cat pointed out in a matter of factly tone. 

“He’s being hunted too,” Sam added in the information.

“Let me guess, he robbed a bank,” Jeffrey groaned while putting his hand down and staring at the group. 

Cat pondered for a moment. “That would’ve been a decent reason to be hunted but...no. I’m being hunted because of my existence.” 

Jeffrey noticed Guy trying to stay awake. He strode towards his big brother to make sure he’s okay. “Guy, are you okay?”

“We just fought a huge spider along with the army of spiders. It was fun!” Cat answered for Guy with excitement in his voice suddenly. 

Jeffrey glanced at Cat with a furrowed brow. 

Sam nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah. Guy used his powers to help us fight a huge army of spiders in a destroyed town.”

“Yeah!” Karlos shouted while hopping onto the rim of his fishbowl. “The bomb killed my owner and her children along with everyone in that town!”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jeffrey sympathized softly as he shifted his focus on Guy. 

Guy immediately fell into a deep sleep. 

“Oh no,” Sam muttered underneath his breath.

“Oh no, what?” Dave questioned, hearing Sam’s mutter.

Sam sighed deeply. “He’s been having nightmares in his sleep. There are some that he wouldn’t tell me...I don’t know why he’s getting nightmares frequently.”

“He hasn’t been getting as much sleep as he needs,” Cat added the explanation. 

Jeffrey and Dave glanced at each other with worried gazes and then shifted their attention back to the group. 

“What should we do?” Dave asked quickly, his tone filled with concern.

“I don’t know,” Sam uttered, rubbing his arm sadly. 

Cat pondered for a moment while looking at the dirt-filled pot that didn’t have a seed yet. An idea sparked inside the Cat in the Hat’s head. 

“Guys! I have an idea!” Cat shouted excitedly. 

Everyone focused on Cat, eager to know what his plan was.

~.~ 

_Guy’s Dream:_

Guy fluttered his eyes open slowly as he glanced around his surroundings. He’s in a cell again but this time, he’s not chained up to the bed and the cell was bigger than what he remembered. His body was trembling as he approached the cell door, finding it to be locked. 

“Going somewhere, Guy?” A dark voice spoke up from behind him. When Guy turned around abruptly, the dark hooded figure held out his hand to control Guy’s veins. The orange-furred knox couldn’t move a muscle as the hooded figure thrusted him against the wall. “You can’t run from your fate, Guy.”

“Who are you?!” Guy shouted his question, tears streaming down on his cheeks. “What do you want from me?!” 

Guy felt something burning inside of him while holding out his palm to notice the familiar symbol engraved in his hand. 

“You’re a part of us,” The figure spoke as Guy glanced up with broadened eyes.

“Us? Who’s us?” Guy interrogated, trying to get up from the ground but he couldn’t push himself up. His hands were flat on the ground while his arms were trembling. He’s able to push his upper body off the ground but he couldn’t move his legs to stand up.

The figure strolled towards him and knelt down to make the same level-eye contact with Guy, lifting his chin so he could look into the dark figure’s hood. 

“You don’t know what you’re a part of, don’t you?” the figure inquired, causing Guy to move his chin away from the figure’s grasp.

“I’m not a part of anything! I-I--AH!” Guy yelped in pain as he collapsed back on the ground. His hand was over his chest, almost like something was taking control over him. Guy was having a huge migraine, hearing whispers that weren’t familiar at all. He squeezed his eyes shut while covering his head with his hands.

“You’re a part of something greater than what you can ever imagine,” The figure answered while watching Guy squirm in pain. 

When Guy snapped his eyes open, he suddenly saw the world around him. The sky was blood red and the ground was nothing but ashes. His breathing became heavier while his heart raced rapidly. 

“Look around you. Isn’t it beautiful?” The figure stated as everything around them began to regrow with vivid trees and grass. The sky was back to the bright blue color it always had been with the sun beaming its light around them and the ashes on the ground disappeared. “We could rebuild a better life, a new life. Start over. This world can be reborn--.”

“By killing people,” Guy interrupted, seeming to not be convinced by this hallucination he’s seeing. 

“Well, death is inevitable, Guy. You of all people should know that.”

Guy glared up at the assassin with clenched teeth in pain. “I will not participate in taking innocent lives. People are going to die if you do this and I can’t be a part of that.” 

“Hmph, it looks like you still need a little more convincing.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Oh, you think we’re going to take no as an answer?” The figure growled as the beautiful hallucination faded back to the grey cell both him and Guy were trapped in. “Come on, Guy. You had powers that could make you a god but...you decided to downplay it as if it’s nothing.” 

“I-I use these powers to help others...not hurt them,” Guy snarled, trying to get back up on his feet but he kept stumbling back against the cold wall. 

“Hmph, so much for Stovepipe.”

“Wha-What? What do you mean?”

“Oh, haven’t you heard? A bomb is supposed to be dropped here...the question is...will you stop it in time?” 

Guy widened his eyes in complete shock. “Wait! Wait!” 

The figure disappeared without a trace, leaving Guy alone in the empty cold cell. 

“Wait! Stop!” Guy called out to the figure while standing on his feet. He whipped his gaze around the cell, trying to open the door. “Guys! If anyone can hear me, there’s going to be a nuclear bomb dropping in Stovepipe! Can anyone hear me?!”

Before Guy could continue shouting, he heard voices whispering in his ears harshly as if someone’s behind him and whispered something harsh in his ear. 

_“You belong here!”_

_“Rejoice, death is not the end!_

_“Who’s going to save you?”_

All the whispers were mixed in together and became louder in Guy’s head as Guy collapsed on his knees on his ground and began to scream as loud as he can, covering his head from his migraine.

_Reality:_

Cat used a watering can he got from the garage of the mechanics' shop and watered the tiny seed that fitted into the dirt-filled pot, with the group staring at him with absolute confusion. 

Sam heard Guy groaning in pain in his sleep as he turned his head quickly to look at his briefcase buddy. “Cat, whatever you are doing, hurry it up!” 

“I’m trying to summon him! I don’t know why we haven’t done that earlier but we must summon him!” Cat shouted as he continued to water the seed. 

“Who are you even summoning?” Jeffrey questioned with an arched brow. 

Gabriella set Karlos’s fishbowl on the floor away from everyone and climbed up to look out of the window. She noticed a plane flying over the city with something falling from it. “Um...guys...something is falling in the sky--”

“It’s a nuclear bomb!” Karlos shouted with pure panic. Sam gasped as he pulled Gabriella away from the window to have her not look at the nuclear bomb blowing up. Cat immediately took off his hat and flicked it to create a brick wall with his hat behind Karlos, Sam, and Gabriella as both Sam and Gabriella held each other tightly. The wall was wide enough for Jeffrey, Dave, and Guy to fit in as well. Dave and Jeffrey did not hesitate to move Guy off of the couch and crouched behind the wall with Sam and Gabriella. Cat picked up the pot he’s been watering and hid behind the wall with them. 

The bomb was set off, creating a mushroom cloud towards the sky. 

“Everybody, cover your faces!” Cat urged as he handed out masks to cover everyone’s face with and provided covering over the opening of Karlos’s fishbowl. With their faces covered, they ducked their heads down to avoid the debris hitting them. The glass shattered in the mechanics' shop as the building was torn to shreds. Sam was holding Gabriella as tightly as he could while she held onto him for dear life. Cat was protecting both Sam and Gabriella along with Karlos from the debris while Jeffrey and Dave hugged Guy close to them so that their brother wouldn’t get hurt. 

The explosion finally ended while the gang was still breathing into the masks given to them. They all lifted their heads up except Guy, who’s still asleep. 

Guy slowly fluttered his eyes open to notice the grey clouds above them. He realized that he had a mask on and was about to throw it off until Cat stopped him. 

“Whoa, wait! Don’t take it off yet!” Cat instructed quickly, talking through his mask. Cat glanced down at his pot to realize that a bright blue-furred Truffala Tree was growing in the pot. “Finally!” 

“What’s so important about that plant?” Karlos questioned the cat with an arched brow. 

“It’s supposed to summon someone we know...apparently, he’s taking too long to get the signal,” Cat uttered with a low growl.

Guy immediately sat up with wide eyes, whipping his gaze around. “No...NO!” 

Guy stood up on his feet and ran through the destroyed city, with his brothers following after him.

“Guy! Wait!” Dave called out as Guy headed towards his parents’ house, hoping that they’re still alive. Sam took Gabriella by the hand and led her towards his best buddy. Cat picked up Karlos’s fishbowl and placed it on top of his hat, striding after the others. 

When Guy approached his parent’s house, he noticed that the house was nothing but wood and bricks. With a growl and a light flashing in his eyes, Guy used his mind and hands to shove the debris off of whoever was underneath it. He found that his parents were sprawled on the ground. 

“Mom! Dad!” Guy cried out as he slid on his knees on the cement. He put his hands on both of his parent’s chest, focusing really hard to heal them. “Come on...come on. Please.” 

Dave and Jeffrey stood behind him, anxiously waiting for the healing process to get better. Sam and Gabriella approached the scene along with Cat standing behind them and holding Karlos. 

Guy’s hand didn’t glow and it wasn’t healing his parents at all. “Come on...please...Mom...Dad.” 

In the intense pause, the Lorax arrived at the scene with a mask on. 

“I’ve been summoned by the trees. What’s the--?” The Lorax broadened his eyes to look around Stovepipe. “Oh dang.” 

“You came pretty late,” Cat responded while having his hands on his hips. 

The Lorax furrowed his brow at the Cat. “You’re the one who summoned me? I thought only the Oncelor can do that--”

“I--well...I stole his seed,” Cat explained the situation with a stutter.

“CAT!” The Lorax barked at the Cat in the Hat. 

“Will you both shut up? Guy is trying to focus,” Jeffrey growled at both the Lorax and Cat, tears edging out of his eyes. 

Guy ignored everyone’s comments while trying to heal his parents. But...it didn’t prevail. “No! Mom! Dad! Come back to me! Please!” 

Guy laid his head between his two dead parents, beginning to sob while covering his head. Dave knelt beside his little brother while hugging him from the side. Jeffrey began to tremble, his tears streaming down on his cheeks. 

Jeffrey gazed down at the debris while Sam began to sniffle. 

**_Guy’s parents were like parents to Sam...they treated him as if he’s a part of the family but all that was lost now. For both Guy and Sam, as well as Dave and Jeffrey._ **

“I-I could’ve saved them...if I woke up earlier...I would’ve stopped that thing,” Guy muttered through his tears. 

“Guy,” Dave began soothingly. “It’s not your fault...it’s not your fault at all.”

Guy perked his head up to glare at his brother with his eyes red and puffy from tearing up. He ripped the mask out of his face with rage. “I knew it was going to happen! They said that they are going to bomb Stovepipe Junction! If I don’t join their whatever thing they want me to join, they’re going to bomb Stovepipe Junction! I tried waking up but there’s something in me that wouldn’t let me wake up from that stupid dream! I should’ve woke up sooner! I would’ve saved them! I would’ve saved everyone! I would’ve saved our parents! I would’ve saved the innocent people who are now lying dead in the streets! Now, I can’t even heal my own parents from this! I could’ve saved them--!” Guy’s voice began to crack from screaming out loud with rage but it wasn’t intentionally at his brothers. 

However, when Guy saw the looks of his friends and family with extreme fear and concern over him, he knew he was about to go too far. 

Guy clenched his fist while pounding his forehead with it softly. “I-I’m sorry for--I-I’m so sorry...I-I just let them down.”

Dave was the first to embrace his little brother while Jeffrey hugged Guy from the other side. 

“It’s going to be okay, Guy. It’s going to be okay--”

“I-I let them down-”

“Shh, you didn’t let them down,” Dave uttered softly. 

“It’s okay, big brother. It’s going to be okay,” Jeffrey whispered while clutching both of his brothers. Guy sobbed into Dave’s red flannel shirt while Sam watched with tears streaming down on his face. Gabriella put her hand on his shoulder and then hugged him to comfort him. 

Cat shifted his attention to the Lorax. “Guy has been having recurring nightmares and I was wondering if you could help us with it.” 

The Lorax cleared his throat. “Well, we could put him into a deep sleep--”

“NO!” Sam interrupted the Lorax, overhearing the conversation. “No...don’t make him go through that again...please.”

Cat raised a brow at the Lorax. “Is there an alternative way we could find out about what’s going on with Guy?”

The Lorax pondered for a moment. Something in his mind sparked but he gave a deep sigh, as though he’s hesitant to say his idea. “I know someone who might be able to help us without putting Guy into a deep sleep.”

“Alright, who?” Cat questioned with his arms crossed. 

“He lives up in the mountain...very isolated fellow. I could take you guys to him,” The Lorax offered quickly. 

Overhearing the conversation, the three brothers glanced up at the Lorax. 

“What about us? Where should we go?” Jeffrey inquired of the Lorax.

Dave nodded his head in agreement with his younger brother. “ Everyone we cared about and loved is dead...where do we go now?”

“Here, I’ll take you guys to the safe place,” The Lorax responded while taking his hands out.

“Uh...what are you--?”

Suddenly, both Dave and Jeffrey disappeared without a trace. 

The Lorax glanced at Guy, who looked at him baffled. 

“I took them to a safe place in the Truffala Forest. I know a friend who will help them if needed,” The Lorax explained before Guy could utter a question. 

Gabriella swept her gaze around Stovepipe Junction, her heart sank the more dead bodies she spotted. All those innocent people didn’t deserve to die. They’re living normal lives until somebody decided to end them all. Cat caressed his daughter’s shoulder with a sympathetic sigh. 

However, both of them spotted a couple of robots with red beaming lights to scan the area. 

“Guys...I think it’s best if we go,” Cat called out to Sam, Guy, and The Lorax. 

The Lorax held out his hands. “Come on! We got to go!”

Everyone began to form into a circle, including Guy. Guy whipped his head back at his dead parents, his heart shattering into a million pieces. 

“They’re in the better place, Guy,” The Lorax uttered softly, who sympathetically gazed at Guy. 

Guy turned back to his group, tears streaming down on his cheeks while shutting his eyes tightly. 

They teleported out of Stovepipe Junction and disappeared without a trace.

~.~

It was early in the evening as the truck pulled up to the last of the trail. It stopped abruptly as it revealed to be McWinkle to be the one driving it while Michellee was the one who sat on the passenger side. Michellee raised her brow and glanced over at McWinkle, who seemed to be clueless.

“What’s going on?” Michellee ignited the conversation. 

McWinkle gruffed to himself. “We lost the track. It’s been washed off or something.”

“T-That can’t be good. We have to find my daughter before they do something horrible to her--”

“Calm down, Michellee. We’ll find her eventually.” McWinkle noticed Michellee’s eyes getting droopy and yawning a bit quietly. “I know a hotel place nearby where we could stay for just a night. We’ll keep going in the morning.”

As much as Michellee wanted to say she didn’t want to give up on finding her daughter, her body wanted to rest on the comfortable bed instead of the leather chairs that they both had to sit on all day. Although, McWinkle said that they will only spend one night in the hotel room, meaning that they will get back up and search for her daughter with a night of restful sleep. 

“A-Alright,” Michellee stuttered, hesitantly agreeing with McWinkle.

McWinkle nodded his head and huffed for a moment. “You know...we haven’t heard music all day. Let’s--”

Sudden hallelujah praise to the whispers blasted through the radio like there’s no tomorrow, hurting their ears.

“Gah! What is that music?!” Michellee snarled at the radio. 

“OFF!” McWinkle barked at the radio and slammed his fist against the buttons as the radio switched to news broadcasting channel 2247. 

_“Breaking news: A nuclear bomb was dropped off in Stovepipe Junction. There are no survivors left,”_ the anchorman in the radio announced, causing both Michellee and McWinkle to be shocked at the news.

“Stovepipe Junction? That’s where Guy’s family lived,” Michellee uttered, with the tears rolling down her cheeks.

McWinkle had his eyes widened for a moment, having an instant memory. He remembered what Jeckles said when they were captured by him...when they thought that they get to live their last day.

_Flashback:_

_Louis and McWinkle glanced closely at what they were building to notice a huge symbol of a circle with two snakes crossing over each other like an X mark._

_“What does the symbol stand for, Jeckles?” McWinkle threw in the question with his brow raised. “What does it mean?”_

_Jeckles chuckled at McWinkle’s question. “Someone else wanted the world to burn too.”_

_“Who?”_

_“I’m not telling.”_

_McWinkle glanced back over to a couple of heavy missiles with the same symbol engraved on it. Goat looked at what McWinkle was looking at with widened eyes._

_“Wait, are those bombs?” Goat pointed out with a bit of fear in his tone._

_“Of course, they’re bombs, Goat...how else do you think the world will burn?” Jeckles responded with a snicker._

_Present:_

McWinkle glanced over at Michellee quickly from remembering that flashback. “We got to hide away for the night.” 

Before a word slipped out of Michellee’s tongue, McWinkle stepped on the gas pedal and sped through the forest...just to get to the nearby hotel.

Ten minutes passed by as McWinkle and Michellee arrived in front of the hotel, taking deep panting as if they were racing for their lives. 

“McWinkle, what is happening?” Michellee interrogated, her voice growing scared and bitter at the same time. 

“I’ll tell you when we get to the hotel. Come on!” McWinkle opened the car door and exited out of the vehicle with Michellee following him. Michellee and McWinkle approached the front desk, tired out from running all day. The skinny purple-furred knox with round glasses noticed them coming towards him.

“Two rooms for the night,” McWinkle commanded sternly to the man at the front desk. 

“Sure thing!” The purple-furred knox happily replied while humming a tune to himself and looking through the records book. “Uh-oh! Sorry, we only have one left. You both have to share.”

McWinkle groaned a bit while a bit of his fur turned white. He glanced over at Michellee, who just shrugged her shoulders as if it doesn’t matter if they got one room or not. 

“Deal,” McWinkle uttered, looking back at the man at the front desk as he took out his wallet, pulled out his card, and handed it to the purple-furred knox to pay for the room for a night.

“I will run your card,” The knox replied happily while taking the card and whistling a tune. As soon as the purple-furred knox strolled into the monitor room, McWinkle immediately took out his cellphone with a sigh. Michellee was tempted to glance over his shoulder to see who he’s texting to but she knew that he needed some privacy. She pulled out a drawing she did back in the bed and breakfast while staring at it longingly at it. She had it in her pocket the entire time they were looking for E.B. Michellee prayed in her mind that she’ll find her daughter soon and that she’ll be out of harm’s way. 

However, unbeknownst to her, McWinkle was texting Louis which stated in the blue bubble: _Listen to the broadcast radio on channel 2247._

~.~ 

Meanwhile, Gluntz and Louis were investigating through the camera’s on the monitors of the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S precinct, pondering about what killed Bob, the security guard from the prison Snerz escaped from. Louis heard a buzz from his phone as he quickly picked it up. His brow was arched when Gluntz shifted her glance over at Louis.

“Who texted you?” Gluntz asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

“Dad,” Louis replied as he fiddled with the radio next to the monitor they were watching from. Both of them leaned in to listen to it as Louis turned the dial to channel 2247. 

_“Breaking news: A nuclear bomb was dropped off in Stovepipe Junction. There are no survivors left,”_ the anchorman on the radio announced.

Louis and Gluntz had their eyes broadened with pure shock and confusion.

“Stovepipe Junction?! That’s where Karen and Robert lives!” Gluntz cried out with panic in her tone.

“Yep,” Louis muttered his answer, taking in the information. He heard another buzz going off from his father as Louis glanced into his phone again. It read in the speech bubble: _“Remember what Jeckles said? He’s not the only one wanting the world to burn down. Someone else might have been involved with the bombings.”_

Louis had his eyes bulged out wider as he shifted his focus on Gluntz. “Gluntz, I think my dad might have found something!”

“What do you mean?” Gluntz questioned quickly, ready to take on any theory throwing her way.

“Remember when Jeckles took us in, he’s telling us that he’s not the only one who wants the world to burn?”

Gluntz nodded her head, leaning in eagerly to listen to the conversation.

“Jeckles was partnered with someone unknown. Remember the tapes--”

“Are you telling me that Jeckles and Snerz were connected to this unknown man?”

“I’m saying that whoever Snerz was partnered with...he might have something to do with the bomb that was dropped in Stovepipe Junction.” 

“Then we got to catch Snerz before too many people get hurt.”

“Agreed.”

~.~ 

Meanwhile, the purple-furred knox was about to run McWinkle’s card when he noticed wanted posters that had the pictures of both Michellee and McWinkle. With curiosity getting the best of him, the man analyzed more wanted posters that were on the bulletin board. His eyes widened when he saw Guy’s name on it. He readjusted his round glasses, his heart sinking at the thought of the person he knew once from high school was on the wanted poster. He saw that Michellee had a labeled underneath her picture that said: “Guy’s girlfriend”. And then he saw another label underneath McWinkle’s picture that stated: “Retired agent from the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S.” 

The knox himself knew that this couldn’t be right. He put McWinkle’s card in his pocket and took out the huge purple book with Stovepipe High pictures. Guy was in almost all of them. Of course he’s in all of them, he’s one of the most popular students in school. One of them was when he won the awards as a “Person Who’s Most Likely To Try”. He glossed over to another photo where it’s the picture of young Guy in the “Non-Explosives Club”. The man glanced over at the monitors watching his hotel building and saw both Michellee and McWinkle waiting anxiously for his return. 

The knox took a look at one last photo to see himself with young teenage Guy. They weren’t exactly best friends but they were friends from another time and another place. Heck, Guy could barely remember him when he came back to Stovepipe Junction when both him and that small man were renting a hotel room with a stolen card that he had to shred at the end. It was later that he revealed his name to be Chad to Guy in which Guy finally recognized. Taking a look into the photo and thinking back at the times he and Guy had in high school, there’s no way Guy was a criminal. Despite his grumpiness and his sour expression, there’s no way he’s going to turn in an old buddy to those people with that weird circular symbol stamped on the corner of the wanted posters.

So, Chad, the purple furred knox, shut off the camera but couldn’t shut off the audio. He sighed heavily while walking back to the front desk from the monitor room. He plastered a fake smile while getting out a pencil and paper. 

“Apparently, I can’t run your card, sir,” Chad opened his mouth while writing something else completely different.

Before McWinkle could utter a word, Chad flipped over the paper that read: _“They’re listening to us”._

McWinkle and Michellee glanced over at the camera which had its lenses down. They slowly gained their attention back at Chad. 

“Is it hacked?” McWinkle asked, carefully calculating his words.

“Well, I don’t know if it’s hacked or not,” Chad began to explain while writing more information down. “You might have to get that checked out, sir.”

Chad flipped over the paper to reveal the other words that stated: _“I know who you both are. Don’t worry...I’m on your side”_. 

“How much for the room?” McWinkle questioned, arching a brow.

“Thirty brunkels, sir,” Chad stated kindly as McWinkle took out his wallet to put his card away and take the thirty brunkels out. 

Chad took the thirty brunkels and put them in his register while finding the key card to the room by the emergency exit door. “Alrighty then! What are your names?”

Chad wrote the next set of sentences that said: _“Give me your fake names”_.

“Jeffrey Wright,” McWinkle randomly made up the name.

“Diane Keaton,” Michellee made the name up on the spot. 

“Alrighty then! You’re all set! Your room will be Room 7,” Chad informed with a plastered smile as he handed the room key that actually said: _“Room 12”._

“Thank you!” McWinkle responded with a fake grin. 

“Have a swell night!” Chad bid them farewell as both McWinkle and Michellee entered the actual room they were supposed to be staying in.

~.~ 

When they entered the room, they discovered that it’s bigger than what it seemed. The bathroom and the shower were bigger and the giant bed was placed underneath the windowsill to gaze out into the night. 

“At least, we’re in a nice hotel,” Michellee ignited the conversation while exploring the big room and walking into the big bathroom. 

“At least,” McWinkle grumbled, not intentionally at Michellee. He noticed a skinny green couch while having his arms crossed. He then shifted his gaze over at the big comfy bed that he and Michellee could fit but, for the sake of personal space, he’ll let her sleep on the bed. 

Michellee strolled out of the bathroom, becoming a bit fascinated by the huge room until she noticed the green skinny couch. She looked at the bed and then at McWinkle. 

McWinkle sighed a bit. “You could sleep on the bed.” 

“Are you sure? I mean, you could take the bed and I’ll take the couch--”

“No...you get the bed. I’ll get the couch,” McWinkle insisted while laying on top of the couch. “See? Perfectly fine.” 

Both of them heard a creak from the couch as the legs broke off, causing the couch to collapse on the floor. 

McWinkle still laid on it while fidgeting his toes and fingers with a deep sigh. “Perfectly fine.”

Michellee had a look of disbelief while she noticed a piece of paper on the foot of the couch. She picked it up and read it. 

_Green couch._

_Weight capacity: 120lbs._

“Uh, McWinkle...the couch has a weight capacity,” Michellee pointed out while handing McWinkle the paper. 

McWinkle furrowed his brow. “Who puts a weight limit on furniture?”

“I have no idea.” 

Someone suddenly entered the room without warning as McWinkle sat up from the couch to notice that it’s Chad who entered the room. He readjusted his glasses from running too fast towards the room. 

“What’s going on--?” McWinkle quickly interrogated as he noticed a plastic golden nametag that was pinned on Chad’s suit. “--Chad?” 

Chad checked around the room for anything that could easily eavesdrop their conversation. He checked every corner of the room, including around the round wooden bedside table by the big bed and the ceiling light hanging over them. Chad sighed heavily in relief. 

“Both of you are being hunted,” Chad quickly informed them.

McWinkle furrowed his brows at Chad. “No duh.”

“Why are you helping us?” Michellee asked with a raised brow.

Chad examined her for a moment. “Aren’t you Guy’s girlfriend?”

“You know Guy?” McWinkle questioned with widened eyes in shock. 

“Yeah, we went to the same high school together. Man, good times. However, I never knew Guy was being hunted as well. If I know Guy, Guy isn’t the criminal type...right?”

Michellee nodded her head in agreement. “Right.”

“You’re helping us because you know Guy?” McWinkle interrogated his question with a stern voice. 

“Well, pretty much. Look, this whole hunting thing that has been going on seems wrong. If you catch my meaning,” Chad explained a bit.

“Most people would turn us in for the reward...but you won’t. Why?” McWinkle stepped in to question further, still a bit superstitious of Chad. 

“Because, friends are more important than money, sir,” Chad answered softly with a small smile. “Guy is a friend of mine. He shouldn’t be hunted down, along with everyone he loves. So, I will help protect them as best as I can.” 

“Do you know who’s hunting us?” Michellee inquired, stepping between Chad and McWinkle. 

Chad pondered for a moment. “It’s some kind of a cult. I don’t know who they are.” 

They suddenly heard vehicles pull up as Chad straightened his bowtie. 

“I got to go. Enjoy your stay. And hey, stay as long as you need to,” Chad informed as he headed out the door.

“Thank you, Chad,” Michellee uttered her gratitude.

Chad tipped his head with a nod and exited out of their room. 

“Thank goodness someone’s on our side,” McWinkle responded. 

“Wait! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” They heard Chad shouting his plead. 

Both McWinkle and Michellee widened their eyes in fear as McWinkle peeked out of the room to notice a group of buff men holding up their guns at Chad, who’s already at the front desk of the hotel. 

“I don’t know who you were even talking about!” Chad yelled on top of his lungs, fear taking over his voice suddenly. 

McWinkle quickly closed the door. “Come on, Michellee. We got to go!”

“What about Chad?” Michellee pointed out. 

McWinkle passed by her and checked out of the window by the bed. Seeing that nobody was there, he opened the window by the bed. 

“We’re fugitives. If they found out that he held us in here, they’re going to kill him along with us. Come on,” McWinkle determined as he held out his big hand for her to grab on.

Michellee nodded her head and grabbed his hand while he pulled her through the window. 

Michellee and McWinkle were on the railing outside of the hotel, while droplets of rain fell from the dark cloudy sky. McWinkle closed the window quickly behind them and they began to scoot towards the side of the building. Both of them noticed Chad walking out of the hotel with his hands up while the guns were raised, aiming for his head. One of the buff men knocked Chad on his knees as the rain poured harder from the sky. 

McWinkle and Michellee gave each other brief concern glances at each other. McWinkle gestured for her to keep going. They eventually reached the stairs on the side of the building and stepped down the metal stairs, careful to not slip in the pouring rain. After they climbed down the stairs, they both hid behind the building underneath the ramp they had just walk on and witnessed the priest strolling out of the hotel. The brown-furred priest along with his henchmen and Chad had their backs turned from the hotel building. 

The priest ambled around Chad, who’s trying to avoid eye-contact with him. The priest lifted Chad’s chin. “Dear child, why must you hide something from us?” 

“Who says I’m part of your club?!” Chad screamed with panic.

“You work for us...don’t you?” The priest inquired out of Chad. 

Chad stayed silent, his lips sealed. 

McWinkle glanced over at Michellee. “Come on, we got go--.”

“Wait, we got to help Chad. He helped us when we didn’t expect him to. We should at least be able to do something for him in return,” Michellee whispered to McWinkle, almost begging in her voice.

McWinkle took a moment to think about what Michellee was saying. 

**_McWinkle knew Michellee was right. Chad helped them unexpectedly, expecting nothing in return. This is McWinkle’s choice. Should he save Chad or let him deal with those people, who might kill him if he doesn’t admit his ‘wrongdoing’? McWinkle racked his brain about it for a moment and then...came up with an answer._ **

McWinkle set his determined glare at the priest and the buff surrounding Chad. He shifted his hardened gaze at Michellee. 

“Alright. We’ll help Chad...but on one condition. You stay here,” McWinkle ordered, knowing how dangerous fighting those men could be.

“Wha--?”

“If you see me get hurt, you will run without any hesitation and looking back. Don’t you think about looking over your shoulder when you run. Don’t you think about going back there and help me and Chad. You keep running. Find someplace safe to hide. Hide in the shadows and stay out of the light. You’ll survive, I guarantee that.”

“What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine,” McWinkle responded while cornering a smirk. 

McWinkle hid in the shadows while sneaking up to the buff man and the priest, picking up a baseball bat that happened to be leaning against one of the windows by the flowerpots underneath the window sill. 

“Tell us where you hid the Outsiders!” The priest, now enraged by Chad’s silence, barked his questions at Chad. 

Chad became timid while his body was shaking. Before the purple-furred knox could utter a word, McWinkle swung his bat at one of the buff men’s head and then knocked the gun out of the other one standing beside the one that just got hit. He wrapped his bloody baseball bat around the man’s neck, letting two other buff men shoot at the man he held hostage. He drew out a pistol of the dead man’s holster and shot the two of them firing at him. The priest had his eyes enlarged with fear as he was about to bolt out of there. McWinkle picked up the dead buff man that he’s been holding and threw it at the priest, knocking him down against the rock in the rain. 

McWinkle breathed heavily from fighting those men. Suddenly, someone else tackled him into the muddy ground, his blue fur now muddy and dirty. He glanced up just in time to notice a muscular man with an iron hand. McWinkle was able to hold the iron hand away from his face and then he used his feet to kick the muscular man in the gut, ripping the iron hand out of the man’s arm. The man fell back against the parked car that McWinkle parked earlier. He stood up from the ground and tossed the iron hand aside. Before the man could get back up, McWinkle zoomed towards him and slammed his head against the side of the car, knocking him out for good. However, when he violently slammed the man’s head against the car, blood was spilled on his blue fur along with mud. 

McWinkle sighed in deep relief as he glanced over at Chad. “Are you alright, Chad?” 

Chad, with his glasses covered with mud and blood, took off his glasses with a shocked stare at McWinkle. He got out his cloth, which was already wet from the rain, and wiped the mud and blood off of his glasses. He put them back on with a shocked look still on his face. “Splendid...just splendid.”

McWinkle heard someone groaning in pain as he glanced over his shoulder and looted the rifle of one of the men’s bodies. He noticed that the priest was slowly crawling away, trying to reach a gun that was inches away from him. McWinkle kicked the gun away from him and aimed the rifle at the priest’s head.

“What are you? What kind of a priest are you?” McWinkle interrogated with a growl and brows drawn together. 

“You’ll never understand,” The priest groaned in pain, blood slowly oozing out of his head.

“Then let me understand. Who are you? What kind of a cult are you?” McWinkle growled his question. 

“We are the Gatherers of the Whispers...we listened to the whispers and we carried them out.”

“Seriously, that’s all you guys do...that sounds chaotic,” McWinkle responded with a low snarl. 

“Y-You think we are powerless against you...? It’s you who are powerless against us. We will grow and we will end this world with this powerful weapon. We will regrow and restart a new life--”

“Where people die? I don’t think so, pal.” 

The priest recognized McWinkle instantly. “You must be McWinkle...you-you don’t know what you’re up against--”

“How do you know my name?!” 

“Sara--she’s with you, isn’t she?”

McWinkle softened his gaze and lowered his weapon, thinking about his dead wife. 

The priest chuckled quietly. “Oh...she’s dead. That’s what she gets for running away from her home...and married an Outsider.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh...you don’t know? What a shocker. Your wife was part of us...before she decided to run away from her home...you weren’t there when she got shot...were you?” 

McWinkle narrowed his brows at the priest, getting angry with his words. 

“We were supposed to take your halfling son before she decided to take the bullet for your stupid son--”

Suddenly, McWinkle kicked the priest’s head against the rock, glaring at the priest. 

McWinkle had his teeth clenched together.“Don’t you ever talk about my wife and my son like that, you heartless son of a yip.” 

The priest laid there dead, which caused McWinkle to turn his back on him and look at Chad and Michellee, who stepped out from the shadows with her eyes bulged out in pure confusion. 

McWinkle soon realized that Michellee and Chad witnessed the whole thing between him and the priest while he’s covered in mud and blood. “Um, Chad...do you have showers in the hotel?” 

Chad blinked for a second and then immediately pointed behind him. 

“Thank you,” McWinkle responded as he passed by both Michellee and Chad. 

There’s a brief silence as Chad slowly turned his head to look at Michellee.

“Did you know he could fight like that?” Chad questioned Michellee, revealing confusion and shock in his trembling voice. 

Michellee couldn’t respond to the question, still wrapping her mind around the situation. There were so many questions that she had stuck in her brain about McWinkle. About his wife and why she died. Why his son had to witness such tragic death and when did he witness it? All of those questions she now wanted to ask McWinkle before things get more complicated. 

~.~ 

Goat, Michael, and Jean stood outside of the bar called Darrell’s bar. In front of the bar on one side, there were parked motorcycles lined up horizontally. On the other side, there’s a window that had been broken by a dirty pink-furred short man tumbling out of the bar. The man ran around the bar, hollering like a hooligan. 

Goat glanced over at Michael and Jean, with Jean perched on the fox’s shoulder. “These guys are tough and mean. Stay by me and you’ll do fine.”

“You said that you had a bad reputation in the bar,” Jean questioned, raising his finger up to make a point.

“Yes, I do. That’s why it’s more likely that they will go after me than you both. Stay by me and whatever you do...don’t look at them in the eye,” Goat warned both of them. “You got it?”

“Oui!” Jean responded with a nod.

Goat shifted his glance up at Michael, who seemed nervous about going into the bar full of nutjobs. 

“Michael?” Goat called out softly, causing the fox to look at him. “Are you ready to find him?”

Michael bit his bottom lip while breathing in deeply. He exhaled slowly and nodded his head with determination. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Goat faced the swinging doors of the reeky bar. “Then, let’s go.”

Goat and Michael entered the bar with their sights locked ahead of them. Goat and Michael slowly ambled their way through the bar. On their way through the bar, Michael noticed the men glaring at them. One of the men with a disgusting yellow fur slammed the shot glass against his head after he took a shot while glaring at the fox. Michael averted his gaze back ahead as they approached the front counter. 

Goat noticed the buff looking dark pink-furred bartender having his back turned with one arm being replaced as a gun with a sharp tip at the end, almost like it’s for designing tattoos. 

“Hey, we’re looking for someone named Daniel Stargood,” Goat implemented with a serious stare up at the bartender. “Do you know anyone named Daniel Stargood?”

The buff bartender turned around to face Goat, wearing an eyepatch to indicate his missing eye with the star symbol. He had an aggressive glare with a gold medal tooth at the top front row of his crooked teeth. He had a small tattoo with words written in red that read: “Stargood”. 

“Yer lookin’ at him,” the bartender, Daniel Stargood, answered sternly while picking up a glass mug and spat in it. He wiped the mug clean with his cloth. “What da ya want, sheep?” 

“I ain’t no sheep, compadre,” Goat corrected Daniel, hardening his gaze at the bartender. 

“Oh, I forgot, yer Goat. A world-class animal poacher and bounty hunter,” Daniel pointed out Goat’s past with a toothy grin. 

“That’s in the past, amigo. However, it’s your recent crimes that I’m concerned with,” Goat answered with a low growl. 

Daniel chuckled wryly with his brow raised. “Recent crimes?”

“A young fox named Dylan was arrested of stealing eggs from farmers. He had that sweet tattoo on his paw that might be a clue of who he worked for,” Goat explained, seeing that his explanation was sinking into the skull of Daniel Stargood while Goat smirked. “He told us that the tattoo was made by you. However, he wouldn’t tell us who he worked for. We like to ask you a couple of questions in private, Senor Stargood.” 

“If ya want to ask your questions, Goat, ya best better ask them in front of my friends,” Daniel Stargood referred to the tough-looking men sitting around the bar. 

Michael gulped while watching Goat intensely, hoping that they wouldn’t get into conflict in the bar. It’s sudden that he noticed three men with different colored fur like red, blue, and yellow glaring at both him and Jean, who’s just sitting on his shoulder. 

“They’re glaring at us...what do we do?” Michael whispered his question to Jean, low enough to where the three men didn’t hear what he said. 

Jean seemed a bit intimidated by the men’s glares as well. “I think we’re supposed to act tough back.” 

Michael nodded his head in understanding while changing his timid look into a fierce gaze. “Whatcha lookin’ at...StRaNgErS?!” 

Three men immediately got up from the wooden table and surrounded Michael like they were going to jump him. 

“Whatcha say, punk?” The red-furred man growled at the fox. 

“Y'all heard me, I say whatcha staring at,” Michael answered, trying to act tough but it didn’t get those men to go away.

Goat flicked his ears as he switched his focus on Michael being surrounded by growling men. Before Goat could jump between the three men and his partners, the other men circled around Goat like vultures waiting to attack. 

“Trying to protect yer little critter, eh?” Daniel chuckled humorlessly. “Since when have ya start caring for someone else?” 

Goat growled aggressively, ready to take down everyone in the bar. 

Meanwhile, Michael and Jean glanced up at the three tall muscular men in fear. 

“Okay, maybe acting tough is not going to get us anywhere,” Jean whispered to Michael. 

“What did your little mouse friend say?” The red-furred man pointed at Jean with an angry glare. 

**_Michael just remembered that the men such as the ones in front of him wouldn’t understand Jean because of a language barrier. Only Goat and Michael could understand what Jean was saying to them._ **

“I don’t think they understand you, man,” Michael whispered quickly to Jean. 

This sparked an idea in the mouse’s head. 

“Wait, I know how we’re going to get out of this,” Jean muttered back to Michael.

“I’m all ears--”

“Quit talking to that mouse and act like a man!” The blue-furred man shouted as he shoved Michael against the wall. A sudden bullet crashed into the blue-furred man’s shoulder, causing the others to glare at Goat, who’s holding a pistol at them with an infuriated glare.

“Don’t you yipping touch him! Do you hear me?! If you want to fight with anyone, you fight with me, amigos!” Goat snapped at them. 

“Goat, no,” Jean uttered but then took a moment to ponder further into the idea. “Wait, Michael.” 

Goat noticed Jean whispering something to Michael, who twitched his ears while looking befuddled. 

“Uh...not good,” Michael answered the question that was whispered by Jean.

Jean leaned in towards Michael’s face anxiously. “Have you tried it?” 

“No.” 

“Then, how do you know if you never tried it.”

The men, knowing that Michael was going out for a fight, raised their fists in ready to fight.

Michael and Jean noticed with a bit of fear in their eyes. Michael cleared his throat and breathed in and out calmly as he began to sing:

 _“_ _Here's to the ones that we got_

_Cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not_

_'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories_

_Of everything we've been through_

_Toast to the ones here today_

_Toast to the ones that we lost on the way_

_'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories_

_And the memories bring back, memories bring back you.”_

Michael’s heart to race, anxious to think that he’s not that good of a singer. He noticed the men were staring at him baffled. However, Goat was more amused than he would like to admit. He never knew that Michael had a pretty soothing voice. Jean immediately saw a jukebox on one of the tables and hopped off the fox’s shoulder to turn on the jukebox. As the music began to play, Michael took a deep breath to boost more confidence in himself:

 _“_ _There's a time that I remember, when I did not know no pain_

_When I believed in forever, and everything would stay the same_

_Now my heart feel like December when somebody say your name_

_'Cause I can't reach out to call you, but I know I will one day, yeah._

_Everybody hurts sometimes_

_Everybody hurts someday, ayy ayy_

_But everything gon' be alright_

_Go and raise a glass and say, ayy._

_Here's to the ones that we got_

_Cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not_

_'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories_

_Of everything we've been through_

_Toast to the ones here today_

_Toast to the ones that we lost on the way_

_'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories_

_And the memories bring back, memories bring back you.”_

“Why is he singing?” One of the muscular men asked while Michael hummed a bit to himself. Goat immediately noticed a familiar vixen entered the bar from the side to notice Michael standing in front of the men and humming. 

The other man shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

Michael continued to sing softly:

_“There's a time that I remember when I never felt so lost_

_When I felt all of the hatred was too powerful to stop (ooh, yeah)_

_Now my heart feel like an ember and it's lighting up the dark_

_I'll carry these torches for ya that you know I'll never drop, yeah._

_Here's to the ones that we got (oh)_

_Cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not_

_'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories_

_Of everything we've been through (no, no)_

_Toast to the ones here today (ayy)_

_Toast to the ones that we lost on the way_

_'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories (ayy)_

_And the memories bring back, memories bring back you.”_

Everyone stared at him with absolute confusion of Michael’s random song outburst. Goat smiled softly, wanting to hear Michael sing a bit more. He glanced over at the bartender to see his reaction but he noticed that Jean had the bartender knocked out. How? He had no idea. Goat furrowed his brow at the mouse as he hopped over at the counter and dragged him towards the backroom quickly and quietly while Michael continued to hum to the melody.

Michael noticed his friends dragging a knocked out bartender into the backroom quietly while faking a smile. “Well, that’s all folks!” 

He rushed out of the crowd and entered the backroom with his friends, causing some suspicion in the vixen, who witnessed him singing. 

~.~ 

Michael barricaded the back room door as Goat tied up Daniel Stargood on the wooden chair. Jean claimed that he’ll be right back to find something in the hole at the corner of the room. 

Daniel Stargood finally woke up in a short amount of time, glaring at both Michael and Goat.

“What the yip?! Where’s that mouse?!” Daniel shouted his questions at both Goat and Michael. 

Michael let Goat interrogate the captive with his arms crossed. 

“I’ll be the one asking the questions, amigo. We can do this the easy way...or the hard way,” Goat growled a bit.

“Is this one of your antics?” Daniel snarled at Goat.

“Just answer the question, Stargood. Who do you work for?” 

“No one.”

“Then why tattoo this symbol onto Dylan’s hand?” Goat showed the picture of a circular symbol with two snakes crossing each other. “We’ve seen Dylan wear it and the Biologist had a pin with this exact symbol on it.--”

“What did you just say?” Daniel gasped, his voice becoming timid suddenly.

“The Biologist. He committed mass murders of both animals and people alike. You know, a better question is...who’s the Biologist?”

“I don’t know who the Biologist is behind the mask. But he ain’t no boss...he’s a simple machine.”

“You know, Dylan said the exact same thing that you said. Please, clarify...what do you mean by that? Is the Biologist simply a robot?”

“No, he’s not a robot...but he behaves as a hostile killing machine would.”

“Who do you guys work for?” 

Daniel smirked at Goat and Michael. “Why don’t you see for yourself?” 

It’s sudden that a cloth went over Michael’s mouth, causing the fox to breathe in the chemical. Goat noticed that one of the masked figures knocked his friend out.

“Michael!” Goat called out as someone knocked him out on the back of his head. He collapsed on the floor along with Michael. 

Meanwhile, Jean returned to the hole to find a bronze ring with a familiar symbol. Before the mouse could utter a word, he noticed his friends being knocked out. He spied on the masked figures placing them in the black bags. There were another one of those masked figures that untied this no good Daniel Stargood. 

“Find the mouse, he’s part of this too,” Daniel immediately instructed as the figure searched throughout the bar for the mouse. The figures glanced around the room as Daniel exited out of the back room. Jean quickly scurried towards the black bag where Michael was at and crawled into it before one of the figures closed it. 

_**To Be Continued...** _

_**A/N: The Song used is called Memories by Maroon 5. The song does not belong to me. LOL!** _


	8. Where the Beasts Prowl

_**Episode Eight: Where the Beasts Prowl** _

WhoVille was the cheeriest place of all. In this fun hustling and bustling snowy town, where all the Christmas decorations were hung from building to building, the Lorax led Guy, Cat, Sam, and Gabriella-who's holding Karlos in the fishbowl-through the town.

"What is this place?" Gabriella questioned, shivering in the cold.

"WhoVille," Guy answered, recognizing the town with a frown.

Cat raised his brow with a glance at Guy and a small grin cornered on his face. "I take it as you know this place."

Guy nodded his head slightly. "I did an inventing competition here."

"Did you win?" Cat asked, seeming now interested in Guy's life.

Guy sealed his lips, remembering his invention blowing up in front of the judges. He then sighed deeply. "No."

"Aw, I bet you're a creative thinker," Cat complimented with a genuine smile.

"That's what I said!" Sam responded in agreement and excitement that someone thought the same thing he thought.

Guy chuckled a bit while rubbing his arms nervously. "Well...not always."

Karlos popped his head out of the water while sweeping his gaze around him. "Uh...this is June...why are there Christmas decorations everywhere?"

"Because every day is like Christmas! And it's exciting to see all of these decorations everywhere!" Sam responded with excitement.

"It's amazing how Christmas can have two perspectives. One perspective is in the heart and the other one is within commercialism. At least...that's what I learned from the library," Gabriella added with a small smile.

"You don't get out much, do you?" Sam inquired softly.

"Well, I learn everything by the books in the library Cat provided," Gabriella responded shyly with a small blush.

Cat clenched his teeth a bit. "I don't take her out to the real world as often as I should...mostly because I want to protect her from those dangerous people."

"You know I'm old enough to explore the world, right?" Gabriella replied to Cat with a raised brow. However, she frowned and glanced up at Guy. "Although, I'm sorry for what happened in Stovepipe. That place must have meant a lot to you."

Guy gazed off sadly in deep thought.

Cat smiled softly at Gabriella and patted her back. "Let's think about other things. Like getting help."

"Speaking of help, we're here," The Lorax stated as they approached a three-story wooden house that show-off the bright colorful lights. There were blow-ups of Santa Claus, the big Snowman, and a reindeer. They approached the green painted wooden porch.

The Lorax hopped up the four steps towards the painted red front door. He rang the doorbell and heard footsteps coming towards the door. The door prompted open to reveal a plump man with coffee brown fur and a big bushy black beard. He's shorter than Guy and Cat but not as short as Sam, Gabriella, and the Lorax.

The man recognized the Lorax with glee. "Lorax, is that you?!" Before the Lorax could explain what's going on, the man gave the tightest hug with a jolly laugh. "Haven't seen you in a while! How's life treating you?!"

The Lorax grunted from getting a tight hug. As soon as the man loosened his hold, The Lorax pushed the mn away gently and politely. "It's good. Good. Um, Jonathan, there's something I need your help with."

"Of course, of course, why don't you come on in for some hot chocolate? I already got the fire started." The man, Jonathan, invited with a bright warm smile. He walked into the house and shouted, "Hey, honey! We got guests!"

"Guests?! How wonderful! Come on in!" They heard his wife yelled back in excitement.

Everyone began to walk into the house while looking at the wonderful wallpapers all around the insides of the house.

"He sounds like a nice man," Gabriella whispered to Sam with a small smile.

"And he smells like hot chocolate!" Sam added with a loud mutter.

Cat chuckled at both of them while looking back at Guy, who's staring off into the distance and away from the house. "Guy, are you coming?"

Guy shifted his gaze back at Cat while ambling into the house. Cat began to wonder what Guy saw that made him freeze up in fear but he shrugged it off as they entered the big living room. Gabriella set Karlos's fishbowl down on the floor by her feet.

"Sorry for the mess," Jonathan ignited the conversation while moving the blankets off of the wooden floor and onto the red and green couches near the fireplace. "My wife and I didn't expect any guest today. It's such a wonderful surprise."

The brown-furred woman, with a green dress and an apron that was read: _"Holly Jolly Christmas"_ , entered the room with a warm kind-hearted grin. "Welcome to our lovely home, folks. Please, take a seat."

As everyone took a seat on the red and green couches by the warm fire, Jonathan approached his wife and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"Greta, honey, could you get some hot chocolate for our guests? That would be lovely," Jonathan requested lovingly.

"Of course, unless they want something else too?" His wife, Greta, shifted her question to the group.

Cat leaned to the side to whisper to Guy. "I'm going to bet five brunkels that Sam will ask for Green Eggs and Ham."

"Is it okay if I can have some Green Eggs and Ham?" Sam questioned innocently.

"Of course, I'll bring some green eggs and ham along with the hot chocolate for everybody," Greta answered happily as she headed back into the kitchen.

"Thanks, honey, you're a doll," Jonathan complimented his wife with a soft smile on his face.

Cat smirked a bit while nudging on Guy's shoulder. "Told you."

Guy chuckled lightly, getting the sensation that Cat was trying to cheer him up since he noticed Guy becoming tensed.

Jonathan sat by the Lorax with a light happy sigh. "So, what is it that you need my help with?"

As if it's on cue, Greta brought in a tray with five hot chocolates with marshmallows simmering inside the cups and the steaming chocolate. She handed Gabriella, Sam, Cat, Guy, and the Lorax the cups and zoomed back into the kitchen to check on the cooked eggs on the stove.

The Lorax cleared his throat. "So, to explain the situation--"

As the Lorax explained the situation to Jonathan, who's happy expression changed into a petrified shock look on his face during the explanation, Guy noticed everyone leaning in to listen while sipping the hot chocolate given to them. He paid attention as well while taking a sip of his own hot chocolate. However, the hot chocolate tasted completely different than what it would normally taste to him.

Guy spat it back into the cup as he glanced down at it. His eyes became broadened with horror when he gazed into his cup. His cup was not hot chocolate. It's filled with dark blood with an eyeball placed in the middle of it. His breathing became heavier as he dropped the cup as soon as he saw it. However, when the cup crashed onto the floor, it spilled out hot chocolate with the soggy marshmallow sliding on the wooden floor slightly. Guy blinked his eyes, soon realizing that what he saw was a hallucination. He slowly lifted his gaze up, noticing the silence from everyone. The group stared at him with concern in their gazes.

Guy immediately became embarrassed while noticing Greta coming in with the plate of green eggs and ham.

"I got the--" Greta paused while noticing the spilled hot chocolate.

Guy clenched his teeth in guilt. "I-I'm sorry. I-I'm just clumsy and-and I don't mean to. Uh, I-I'll clean it up--."

"No, no, it's alright. Stay there. Let me get it," Greta offered while handing the plate of green eggs and ham to Sam, who's staring at Guy and knowing full well that his best friend just lied about being clumsy.

Greta ran into the kitchen to get paper towels to clean up the mess while Guy's hands trembled. She came back with paper towels and cleaned up the mess Guy made. Guy offered to help but she completely denied the help politely and threw away the mess in the trash.

Jonathan observed this with worry taking over his eyes. "Is...he okay?"

The Lorax knew that Jonathan was referring to Guy. "Look, we don't know why he's getting hallucinations or recurring nightmares. I know that you have some sort of X-ray equipment that will help us see what's inside of him."

"Had, my friend. I had the X-ray equipment but I gave it away to someone who actually wanted it surprisingly. I didn't think I needed it," Jonathan explained hesitantly.

"Wait, what? If you don't have it, who did you give it to?" The Lorax immediately questioned, panicking a bit.

Jonathan scratched the back of his head. "Well, I gave it to--" He gestured to the Lorax for him to lean over. The Lorax leaned over and widened his eyes when Jonathan whispered the name.

"Are you kidding me?!" The Lorax shouted while groaning irritably. "Did he actually want it?! He didn't steal it from you, did he?"

"No, no, I sold it to him. I didn't think I needed it and he surprisingly took the offering with...glee," Jonathan answered while being a bit surprised himself of this person he's mentioning about.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Cat asked with anxious curiosity.

Before both Jonathan and the Lorax could answer the question, they heard a string of violin quietly at first.

"Ooh, the town is doing caroling. Can't miss that!" Jonathan responded excitedly as he headed out the door. Greta, his wife, immediately followed after her husband with an exciting smile.

"I wonder what's exciting about caroling," Gabriella muttered to herself.

Sam smiled widely. "Here, let me show you. Come on!"

Sam guided Gabriella out of the house with The Lorax following close behind them. Cat clicked his tongue while glancing over at Guy.

"Why not have a change in scenery? Let's go!" Cat replied excitedly as he took Guy by the hand and led him out of the house, leaving Karlos behind.

"Uh...guys?" Karlos called out nervously. "What's going on?"

Cat rushed back into the living room and put Karlos's fishbowl on top of his red with a white striped hat. "Sorry, Marlin, almost forgot we set you down."

"I told you a hundred times, my name is Karlos," Karlos grunted irritably as his fishbowl was stuck on top of Cat's hat. Cat rushed out the door after the group.

~.~

As the gang went outside of the three-story wooden house, they watched a pink-furred woman violinist strumming the chords. As the grand music began, everyone danced around the town square. There's a yellow-furred who playing the saxophone next to the woman violinist, who's dancing around them. While they danced around the town and getting ready to sing their vocal cords, a strange who with dirty green fur and his hair a bit spiked up, who had a small brown dog with a red collar following after him. He had a book up to his face that was titled: _"The Science Behind Chemistry"_. His walk seemed direct with his back lurched forward while his dog was walking dainty and excited, his tail wagging around the dancing people around him.

The girl singer with blue fur noticed him walking through the town without looking up from his book and licked her lips to sing:

_"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch._

_You really are a heel._

_You're as cuddly as a cactus_

_You're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch._

_You're a bad banana with a...greasy black peel."_

The song broke out as the whos in WhoVille danced through the streets, some of them were tap-dancing on wooden tables and some of them were following after the green-furred man, known as the Grinch. Then, another singer with pink-furred began tuning in the song:

_"You're a monster, Mr. Grinch._

_You're heart's an empty hole._

_Your brain is full of spiders._

_You got garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch."_

The violin played softly as everyone danced gracefully behind the Grinch. Grinch traveled through the city with his dog and finally glanced up from his book to notice he's about to run into the library. He smiled lightly and entered it with his dog following behind him.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Guy recognized that green who in a matter of seconds. Gabriella noticed Guy's shock expression on his face.

"Is everything okay?" Gabriella asked Guy softly.

Guy blinked his eyes. "I know him...Oh man, I know him." Guy hid his face underneath his crumpled brown hat as the Grinch exited out of the library.

"Thank you, Joel!" The Grinch shouted his thanks to the local librarian. As he continued to walk through the town with his dog, the town began to explode in the hype of the song. The brown-furred man singer began to sing:

_"You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch!_

_You have termites in your smile!_

_You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch."_

Suddenly, Cat joined them randomly with a grin with his goofy voice in tune.

 _"_ _Now given the choice between the two of you._

_I take the---SEASICK CROCODILE!!"_

The Cat in the Hat held out a low opera note, causing Gabriella to giggle at her father figure while everyone had their heads turn with confusion written on their faces.

The tan-furred singer began her vocal verse:

_"The three best words that describe you are..._

_STINK!_

_STANK!_

_STUNK!"_

As Grinch wandered the village aimlessly with his face in the book, the village danced further--reaching a high note in the end. The dog noticed them singing and dancing all around him, whimpering anxiously to wonder when his owner was going to notice the village singing about him. As the violin hummed in the air, the Grinch perked his head out of the book to wonder what the sound was. The song ended when the Grinch turned his head to look at them, noticing they were in their dancing position.

"Guys, it's June," Grinch informed plainly, as the villagers turned back to their daily routines. Grinch grunted a bit and rolled his eyes at them.

"Grinch!" Jonathan shouted, calling his name in excitement.

Grinch glanced up to notice Jonathan and the group behind him. Sam gasped dramatically in awe.

"No way! You're the-the--!"

"The-The...The Grinch," Grinch introduced plainly, furrowing his brow in complete confusion.

"You were a famous criminal back in the day. Stealing all the gifts in one night with nifty gadgets. Colored me impress," Cat replied with a sleek tone, almost like he's coming off a bit flirty, which confused the group with him.

Grinch crossed his arms. "I'm not a criminal. I only stole Christmas once. I won't ever do that again."

"You love Christmas now...right?" Jonathan asked with sincerity in his voice.

"I don't approve of all the commercialism but...you know, maybe Christmas doesn't come from the store...maybe Christmas means a little more. You know? It's hard to explain," Grinch responded with a shrug but there's a heartfelt tone to his words.

"Well, I'm glad you came around at the end," Greta replied with a small soft smile. "And, it was nice of you to come over afterward."

"Yeah, that was a nice evening," Grinch reminisced with a gentle grin. It was sudden that the Grinch noticed Guy hiding underneath his brown hat. "Guy...is that you?"

Guy glanced up at the Grinch, his eyes widening in shock that Grinch didn't seem as mad as he used to be. "Y-Yeah?"

"Hey, were you in that inventor competition thingy--the one where that one invention caused a wild-fire--?"

"Y-Yeah, let's not get into detail about it," Guy responded in complete embarrassment, hiding more.

"Yeah, I remembered you," Grinch pointed out with a smile.

Almost like an instant, Guy clenched his teeth in pain from his stomach pain. That's strange...he hadn't drink or ate anything. Guy collapsed on his knees, not understanding what's going on.

Grinch raised his brow in concern. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Look, Jonathan said that he sold that X-ray stuff to you. There's something inside of Guy that is concerning for all of us. Can you help us?" The Lorax pleaded, standing by Guy.

Grinch pondered for a moment while looking down at his dog, who nodded firmly to help Guy out. Grinch narrowed his brows in determination. "Follow me."

~.~

Grinch opened the door to his cave on Mt. Crumpet, covered with grease and dirt from taking the garbage chute and into the garbage. Cat-who's carrying Karlos's fishbowl on top of his hat, Sam, Gabriella, The Lorax, Guy, and Grinch's dog followed after him.

Karlos tried to get a dirty sock out of the water and his fishbowl with a scowl. "Out of all the transportation we could've taken, why the garbage chute?"

"Because it's faster," Grinch responded quickly while looking at his dog. "Max, I'm going to need you to start up the X-ray machine. Get everything ready."

Max, Grinch's dog, barked in understanding and headed towards the basement passed the kitchen.

Guy suddenly stumbled when walking through the cave, his stomach-churning.

"Guy?" Sam uttered while trying to help Guy up on his feet.

Grinch immediately helped Guy up as he trodded through the basement door with Sam following them. Gabriella was about to go in after them until Cat laid a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, Cat shook his head and gestured her to stay here with him. Karlos and the Lorax watched intensely.

Meanwhile, Max started the X-ray machine while the Grinch helped Guy onto the bed. Sam gazed at his friend with fear in his eyes.

Grinch noticed Sam staring at Guy and smiled softly. "Um...Sam, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you step out of the basement? This exposes radiation and it might lead to radiation poisoning."

Sam nodded his head in understanding. "Right...uh...okay."

Sam hesitantly walked out of the basement. Grinch glanced over at Max, who sat respectfully and panted with his tongue stuck out.

"I would also suggest you leave the room, Max. You know how dangerous this stuff can be."

Max whimpered a bit but nodded his head in understanding and exited out of the room. Grinch stood behind the glass wall with monitors set to control the lights and the x-ray machine. Guy slowly glanced over at Grinch behind the glass wall.

"You've changed," Guy asked, his voice becoming hoarse.

Grinch perked his head up when he heard Guy spoke up. "Hm?"

"You've changed."

Grinch had his brow raised. "Physically or Personality?"

Guy pondered for a moment while clenching his teeth a bit in pain from his insides. "I say...personality-wise. You-You used to be so...cold-hearted. What happened to you? What got you into those x-ray stuff?"

Grinch thought about it for a moment. "Well...when my heart grew three times that one Christmas...I became fascinated with how the insides work and the chemicals of our brains and hearts can have that much effect on our bodies. I know that it seems weird for me to be fascinated by it. I've been studying and studying religious histories, biologies, and even chemistry. Could you hold still for me please?"

"Uh. Sure."

Guy laid there still while closing his eyes. Grinch turned on the x-ray and examined the pictures of skeletal insides of Guy. Suddenly, Grinch widened his eyes in pure shock. He didn't know what to think when he saw that there's something in Guy. There's a bright glow chemical in him but...there's also this red chemical that was fighting the golden chemical. Grinch seemed speechless, trying to understand what's going on inside of Guy. 

~.~

_Goat's Dream:_

Goat woke up in a dark place. It's not uncommon for him to wake up in a dark atmosphere but there's something different about it. Goat roamed around the dark place and heard someone screaming...someone familiar.

"Michael!" Goat called out his friend and ran through the darkness, following the scream. The next thing he approached was a burning house where he heard that scream. "Hang on, Michael!" 

Goat searched around for an area to enter the burning and noticed a broken door. He busted down the broken door and jumped into the fire to save the screaming fox. He managed to go through the burning building and searched for his friend.

"Michael! Where are you?!" Goat yelled his question.

"In here!" Michael shouted as Goat went into the ruined collapse. Goat busted it down and noticed Michael behind two bars that were farther apart with a mouth trap around his snout. He had his thighs up against his chest and his arms wrapped around his knees. He noticed Goat with a soft smile in relief.

"Goat!" Michael cried out while getting up from his sitting position.

Goat zoomed towards the bar and tried to move them so that he could get to his friend but he couldn't. "Hold on! I got you!"

Michael reached his paw out for Goat to grab. "Please! Don't let them get me!"

"Who, zorro?!" Goat responded with widened eyes. He reached his hoof out for his friend to grab but they were inches apart from reach. The fire began to burn bright behind Michael, making its way towards the fox.

"They're going to make me a monster! I don't want to hurt you!" Michael began to sob as the fire was close to his back.

Goat began to tear up while reaching his hoof further. "Michael...just-just grab my hoof. Please--"

The fire began to touch the fox, causing Michael to groan in pain.

"Goat...it hurts," Michael whimpered, drawing his hand away from Goat's.

"No, amigo...please, just-just grab my hoof--"

The fire was slowly consuming Michael, letting the fox scream in pain.

"GOAT! HELP!"

"MICHAEL, NO!" Goat bleated with tears staining on his cheeks while watching his friend be burned up in flames, reminding him of his parents. Unknowingly, the flames slowly approached Goat, beginning to consume him as well. Goat began to breathed heavily and snapped his eyes close to not see the fire burning him up slowly.

~.~

_Reality:_

Goat jolted himself awake, feeling something covering his eyes. He figured that he's blindfolded and tied up in the office chair. However, he felt a chair behind him as well.

"Michael...Michael, are you awake?" Goat heard a groan in response, sounding strikingly similar to Michael.

"Goat...wha-what happened?" Michael uttered a question.

Goat sighed in relief quickly. "Thank goodness you're okay, amigo."

"Goat...did something happened to us? Wait, why can't I see anything? Can you see anything? Am I blind?" Michael questioned, beginning to panic.

"Calm down, zorro. We're just kidnapped--"

"Kidnapped?!"

"Shhh! Don't scream," Goat shushed his friend, even though he couldn't physically cover Michael's mouth to quiet him down...he wished he could though. However, he's able to put his hooves into Michael's paws. At first, Michael shuddered at the touch but then he held onto Goat's hooves as if it's a lifeline. "It's okay, amigo. We'll get out of this."

"How?"

"I-I don't know. But we'll figure out something."

They suddenly heard footsteps coming towards them. Someone lifted the blindfolds off of them. Goat blinked his eyes and glanced around the dark lab room.

Michael's blindfold was taken off, causing the fox to breathe heavily. "Uh...who are you and why did you kidnap us?"

"What do you want from us?" Goat growled at the mysterious person who took off their blindfolds.

A needle was suddenly stuck into Michael's neck, causing the fox to whimper.

Goat narrowed his brows together. "Hey! What are you doing to him?!"

"You will accept your fate soon enough," Goat heard a voice as a needle poked through his neck.

Goat groaned in pain. "W-What did you just put in us, a-amigo?"

"You will see the truth," An anonymous voice echoed in the room as someone untied the fox and turned him to touch shoulder to shoulder with Goat. They were both tied together side to side and glanced up to noticed a bright blue-furred priest with a dark robe, standing in front of them.

However, when Goat stared at the priest long enough, the priest's face became distorted. Goat furrowed his brow while glancing at Michael, who's face was also a bit distorted but in a hilarious way.

"Pfft!" Goat began to chuckle. "Michael...your face."

Michael edged a small smile on his face while glancing over his shoulder at Goat, which, from his perspective, Goat's face looked mushed.

Michael burst out laughing. "Man, you so ugly!"

"No, you're so ugly, your nose grew like Pinnochio's!"

"You're so ugly, your momma had no idea who you belong to!"

"You're so ugly, Area 51 was thinking about capturing you and identified you as an unidentified specimen!"

"Aw naw! You're so ugly, people start to question whether you're a sheep or a donkey!"

There's a brief pause between both of them. Then the animals burst out laughing, confusing the priest.

"What's so funny?" The priest asked as they both glanced up and noticed the priest looking distorted. So distorted that he looked like their friend, Jean the mouse. That's when both Goat and Michael lost it.

"Jean!" Goat chuckled hoarsely, causing confusion in the priest.

"It's Jean!" Michael screamed with pure delight.

"The distorted version of Jean!"

The animals cackled at each other's jokes.

The priest cleared his throat, ignoring their laughter. "Where's your little--?"

"Look at that nose!" Michael pointed, noticing that the nose was bent up from his point of view.

"He looks like a disabled Rudolph!" Goat snickered, who couldn't control his laughter.

"Where's your little friend, Jean? We need the mouse here too--"

"What type of serum did you give us?" Goat questioned immediately with a small laugh.

"The truth serum," The priest answered, growing a bit impatient now.

"The truth serum?" Goat repeated the answer.

"Yes."

There's an awkward pause as both of the animals cackled obnoxiously at the priest.

"You idiot! This is not the truth serum!" Goat yelled.

"This ain't it, chief!" Michael shouted while they both laugh at the priest.

"You idiot!"

"You idiot!"

"SHUT YOUR FEEBLE MOUTHS UP!!" The priest barked demonically, causing both of the animals to flinch.

_**Meanwhile, Jean watched the whole thing from underneath the lab table. How did he get out of that bag that he slipped himself in the last episode? I guess the mouse was so small that it's barely noticeable that he slipped out.** _

Jean found a vent and snuck through it, hoping to find something that will help his friends out of whatever situation they got themselves into. After about two minutes, Jean found a dark room from the vent door and entered it by busting through the vent. As he walked into the room, his night vision eyes saw something horrific. There's blood...blood everywhere. Jean almost gagged when he saw the mangled bodies of animals and people alike, their guts and parts of their bodies scattered on the floor. Jean tried to avoid looking at the disgusting display while searching for something that might help him and his friends to get out of that situation. Like a knife or saw--something like that.

As Jean was ambling warily through the dark bloody room, he noticed the familiar symbol that had the circle with two snakes crossing each other like an X-mark. The mouse shuddered to remember that symbol. What does it even mean? Jean shook the thought out of his head and continued onward until he heard a fainted warbling sound from a box ahead of him. The mouse tilted his head and aroused his mind with curiosity. The warbling sound became a low purr when he opened the latches of the small box. Something popped out of the box instantly, causing the mouse to fly off of it. He gazed up at this beast in the darkness, its height growing by its long neck. To anyone, it looked like a dangerous beast but to Jean, it was the key to getting out.

~.~

Vicky, the vixen, observed the horrible scene where a short man with red fur and a lab coat getting electrocuted for morning routines. It sickened her for every time she had to watch it. She was standing by her boss with gray fur and strands of white hair. His stance was upright and proud as if he's in perfection despite having wrinkles on his face.

"We've been doing this to him for thirty years...don't you think we could ease up on electrocuting him?" Vicky probed her question, blurting out her concern.

"Why? If we don't do this procedure, how will he reach to perfection?" Vicky's boss responded, turning to face her.

"Perfection, sir?" Vicky questioned further, raising her brow.

"That's right. You're 'new' to this," her boss indicated as he turned around and walked out of the room where the man was being tortured. Vicky followed after him, taking mental notes on how her boss was walking. "You see, Vicky, perfection doesn't just happen overnight. It takes an extreme concentration of the mind, soul, and body to completely listen to what the whispers tell them."

"I see. So, you do whatever the voices tell you?"

"Of course."

She entered the office room with her boss where there were glass panels in front of them that overlooked the neverending jungle called The Jungle of Nool.

"What do those voices say?" She said suspiciously.

Her boss turned to her with a wicked grin. "This world needs to be wiped clean, Vicky. Don't you hear them? But...there's one last puzzle piece and it lies...with him."

Vicky noticed a poster with the orange-furred knox with a brown crumpled hat. She stared at him to notice his name in red underlined...

_Guy Am I..._

~.~

She finally got out of that bag that she had been trapped inside for what felt like days. E.B crawled out of the bag slowly, smelling the bloody stench in the room she was crawling into. Soon enough, the young ten-year-old girl saw what it appeared to be blood everywhere. And then the dissected bodies with their insides showing, causing the little girl to cover her agape mouth with her pupils shrinking in terror. She couldn't believe what she just witnessed. It's a sight to be unheard of for a ten-year-old.

She then saw a silhouette of a man looming in the darkness, strolling towards the lab table where a purple-furred knox's bloody body was sprawled all over the table. The man appeared to be short, his back hunched over a bit, and his legs wobbling. His hands were replaced by a sharp saw blade and a claw. The lab coat he's wearing was stained with blood while he wore a mask with three lenses, one on top and two at the bottom.

E.B was lucky that the short man didn't notice her. She knew she had to get out of here. When the man had his back turned, she found an exit right beside her and skulked out of the room quietly. When she exited out of the room, she noticed a dark hallway and heard an outburst of laughter from familiar animals.

"Goat? Michael?" E.B muttered quietly and warily strolled down the hallway. She hid behind one of the crates as soon as she saw a bright blue-furred man in a dark robe and a familiar symbol hung around his neck as a necklace stormed out of the room. The priest strode into the room next to the one he stormed out of. She slowly snuck over to the doorway of the next room to listen to the conversation.

"What did we put in those agents? They are behaving like wild animals," The priest growled lowly.

E.B gave a quick peek into the room to notice the priest with two other men who were bulky and muscular.

"It's...the truth serum," One of them answered nervously.

"If it's the truth serum, then why are they laughing like maniacs?" The priest questioned angrily. "They are supposed to tell the truth. They are supposed to confess their sins. And they are simply mocking their fates--"

The other muscular man had his eyes widened while showing the serum they used. "Sir, you might have grabbed the wrong serum."

"What do you mean?" The priest asked, still in a rage.

The priest examined the used chemical while sighing deeply in frustration. "No wonder they are laughing like hyenas. They're injected with the stupid laughing serum. How long will this last?"

"We-uh-don't know...that was the test serum," The muscular man answered, scratching the back of his head.

The priest glared at his henchmen. "You better find out. Otherwise, we're stuck with those laughing idiots."

E.B. quickly hid when the priest was about to make his way out of the room with his henchmen following after him. When they left, the child saw that the men left the door open. She snuck into the room where she discovered that it's a monitor room where there were cameras everywhere. The young girl noticed the lab room where Michael and Goat were laughing their heads off. She knew that she recognized those laughs. Now, getting them to snap out of it would be a tricky thing to do.

E.B shut off the cameras and quickly skulked into the room next to the monitor, which was a huge mistake in this child's opinion. But it's easier to access, so she's not complaining. When she entered the room, Goat and Michael were in tears from all the laughter.

"Oh my gosh...my gut hurts from laughing too much," Goat muttered to Michael, chuckling quietly.

"Mine too," Michael responded to Goat's words.

"Guys," E.B called out as she stepped towards them.

Both of the animals glanced up at E.B. And then, almost like it's a replay, they burst out laughing.

"E-E.B! Why are you walking around like that?!" Michael yelled, laughing his head off.

E.B. had her arms crossed, raising her brow. "Did you guys say anything that might be revealing to that weird guy?"

"I told you, Mom, I don't do drugs...except smoking," Goat uttered, chuckling continuously.

Michael giggled at Goat's statement.

E.B sighed irritably. "Guys, snap out of it."

"Make me!" Goat barked with a chortle.

E.B slapped Goat in the face, with drawn brows. It was sudden that Goat's expression to giddy to shock after he got slapped in the face. He shook his head, finally snapping out of whatever trance this serum put him through and glanced up at E.B, who had her arms crossed.

"What the-?!" Goat shouted at first but soon realized that he's in a darkened room. So, he lowered his voice. "Niña, what are you doing here?"

"I was kidnapped...again," E.B droned, mostly at herself.

"A-Are you okay? Where's your mother? Where's Guy and Sam?" Goat whispered to E.B.

"Wha-What are you guys talking about?" Michael stuttered, smiling like a doofus.

Goat widened his eyes. "What happened to you, Michael?"

"Both of you guys were injected with the 'Laughing Serum'," E.B stated plainly.

"L-Laughing serum?" Goat shifted his attention to E.B.

"Yeah."

"Huh, so they are idiots," Goat muttered as he focused on the girl. "E.B, find some way you can cut us out of here."

"What about Michael?" E.B pointed out.

Goat turned his head to notice Michael drooling a bit while smiling so stupidly.

"Michael, lose the stupid smile. It's cute but now is not the time to fool around," Goat warned, slipping in a compliment without knowing it--in which E.B caught.

E.B looked around the dark lab room while Goat tried to snap Michael out of his trance.

"Michael. Eggs," Goat blurted out the name to snap Michael out of the trance but it didn't work. "Uh--Sandra. Uh, Jean...Guy...Sam...E.B. Um, Goat."

Michael still had that stupid look on his face, almost like he's phasing out into his happy fantasyland. Goat bit his ear and tugged at it gently but it didn't prevail.

Goat groaned to himself. "I can't believe what I'm about to do."

Goat nuzzled his nose against Michael's neck since they're right next to each other. He couldn't necessarily slap the fox in the face since they're both tied up and the only thing he could do was bury his face into the fox's neck. Surprisingly, that snapped Michael out his trance way too quickly.

The fox shifted his glance over at Goat, who pulled away just in time for him to stare back. Michael's face was beet red but it's barely noticeable compared to Goat's face. Goat had his face reddened and eyes wide.

"Uh...are you on Earth now?" Goat uttered softly.

Michael nodded his head a bit while looking around the room. "I-I think so."

"Good."

E.B found cutters and noticed both Michael and Goat sharing warm smiles to each other.

"Are you guys done with your moment?" E.B teased as she approached both of the animals.

Michael had his eyes bulged out. "E.B! How did you get here?!"

E.B sighed sadly as she cut the animals loose. "I was kidnapped...again."

Both Michael and Goat stood up from their seats and glanced down at her.

"Well, we got to get out of here first...then, we'll discuss how we can get you back to Michellee or Guy," Goat determined as he headed out of the room quickly. Michael and E.B trailed behind him.

~.~

Michellee took out her cellphone from her pocket that she kept the entire time both McWinkle and her were being chased. McWinkle was driving the car in the middle of the night and Chad sat at the back. After the incident at the hotel where Chad worked at, both McWinkle and Michellee decided to take Chad with them since it's safer to be with a group than be alone at the isolated hotel where those crazy religious people could potentially return to finish the job if McWinkle hadn't interfered.

Michellee, from the passenger side, dialed Guy's number and put it up against her ear to wait for her boyfriend to answer the call. Since both she and McWinkle were being hunted, she had to see if Guy and Sam were okay during their trip...and not be hunted like her and McWinkle. Mostly, she just wanted to hear Guy's calm and reassuring voice that everything was okay. She continued to hear a ringing sound until it stopped.

"Hey, it's Guy. Leave a message and I'll get back to your call," Guy's voice replied in a recording. Michellee groaned a bit and heard a beep to signal her to leave him a message.

"Hey, Guy, this is Michellee. I-I want to know--uh--how's your trip with Sam?" Michellee asked although she knew she had limited time to send the message. "Anyways, I really need to talk to you. Please, please, call back as soon as you can. I love you, honey. Bye."

Michellee closed her phone and fell back against the cushion on the passenger side, sighing heavily. There were too many thoughts running through her mind.

McWinkle noticed this and then glanced back at the road. "I don't know if it's a good idea for you to call him at this time."

"Why?" Michellee questioned, anxiously.

McWinkle shrugged. "I don't know. It may be the tracker thing."

"Yeah, that can happen. There are phones where they will put a tracker chip in. So, it can track you down wherever you are, even if you aren't using it. It will also track who you are calling or texting, what locations where the person was answering from, and will note everything you and the person are talking about. So, be careful giving vital information over the phone," Chad responded in agreement with McWinkle.

McWinkle gestured Chad to Michellee, just to prove his point.

Michellee pondered for a moment. "Then, that means that I have to throw my phone out. Wait a minute, McWinkle, you have a phone too. Didn't you text someone at the hotel--?"

"I texted my son and yes, I have my phone with me. But it doesn't have a tracker chip," McWinkle answered plainly.

Chad had his brows raised. "How do you know that it doesn't have a tracker chip?"

McWinkle turned his head slightly to look at Chad. "Because I took it out a long time ago. Along with Louis's phone."

"You could take it out of mine," Michellee offered urgently.

"We're driving out in the middle of the nowhere, it will take a while to find someplace safe," McWinkle replied logically.

"If that doesn't work, you could throw it out," Chad suggested while readjusting his round glasses to get a better look at both McWinkle and Michellee.

Michellee hardened her gaze at Chad. "What?! Then, how will I be able to contact Guy and Sam?!"

"You could use my phone," McWinkle offered to Michellee gently, but he had a stern gaze at her. "But you could only use my phone to call the people both you and I know. No one else. There are some people that you don't know."

"I'll stay away from them," Michellee responded.

"Good. Here." McWinkle took out his phone and gave it to Michellee. "Make the calls short."

"Okay." Michellee pondered who to call next. Since Guy wouldn't answer her phone, she knew who the next person she could call.

~.~

Meanwhile, Sam waited anxiously, rubbing his fingers against his palms. Gabriella was sitting next to him while massaging his back to calm him down. Cat paced back and forth with Karlos getting dizzy in his fishbowl from Cat's pacing. The Lorax tried his best to appear calm but his shoulders were tensed up a bit. Max, Grinch's dog, wagged his tail and stared at the door that led to the basement, eagerly waiting for his friend.

"He's going to be okay, Sam," Gabriella reassured Sam in a hopeful voice.

_**Sam knew what she's talking about but at this point, there's a tiny part of him that believed that his best friend was going to be okay. However, he's beginning to suspect that those nightmares and hallucinations won't go away that easy. After what he saw at Jonathan's house, the way his friend stared down at his hot chocolate in horror as if he's seeing blood...or maybe that was what he was seeing. At this point, Sam wasn't too sure what's going on with his briefcase buddy. Sam really wished that he had the same powers as Guy...that way he could understand what's going through Guy's mind.** _

Grinch entered the room with an urgent look on his face. He walked passed the group, confusing them all.

"Grinch, what did you find?" The Lorax inquired while following after the Grinch.

Grinch strode into the small library diagonally across from the door to the basement. Cat, Sam, Karlos, and Gabriella stayed in their spots.

"Hmm, I wonder what's going on there in Grinchy's mind," Cat uttered to both Sam and Gabriella. Although, he immediately noticed both Sam and Gabriella holding hands tightly and subconsciously. Cat's face suddenly changed from giddy to sour expression quickly.

Cat gently dispersed Gabriella and Sam, causing both of them to glance up at him in confusion.

"Social distance, please," Cat uttered, attempting to form a half-teasing grin back on his face but his eyes were stern, mostly towards Sam.

Sam felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He took it out slowly, hoping that it wasn't Michellee calling him. Not because he didn't like her or anything, but the fact that she could get overly worried a lot about stuff. Surprisingly, it's McWinkle calling him. Sam became tensed up...was he in trouble? Did McWinkle know anything about their situation? Sam answered the call hesitantly.

"H-Hello?" Sam stuttered, his heart pounding.

"Sam?!" Michellee's voice shouted from the other line, with a sigh in relief.

Sam became even more surprised that Michellee was talking through McWinkle's phone. "What's going on? Why are you using McWinkle's phone?"

"Uh...well, it's a long story. How are you and Guy doing?"

Sam gripped his chest with widened eyes. Should he lie to her or should he tell her what's going on with Guy? Part of him wanted to tell Michellee the truth but there's another part of him, a criminal part of him, wanted to lie and tell her that everything was fine. But Sam figured out how to go to the middle with those choices.

"We are doing fine. Just fine," Sam uttered with a small fake smile.

"Th-That's good."

"What about you and E.B?"

There's a distant pause. There's a heavy sigh.

"Sam...E.B's been kidnapped."

"What?!" Sam gasped, his tone full of worry.

"I need to speak with Guy...I need to hear his voice...could you give the phone to Guy, please?"

Sam clenched his teeth while the Grinch and the Lorax strolled back into the room.

"What's going on?" The Lorax persisted with his questions while Grinch was carrying a familiar golden book into the living room, causing the group to follow him.

Grinch slammed the book on the coffee table in the center of the living room. The group gazed down at the book with a familiar circular symbol with two snakes crossing each other.

Cat had his eyes broadened in complete shock. "Uh...why was that book in your library?"

"I collected it a long ago," Grinch answered vaguely, panting a bit as if he's been running up the stairs.

"From who?" Cat probed with his question.

"It doesn't matter. This book is connected to Guy," Grinch responded without hesitation.

"What's going on, Sam?" Michellee asked from the phone. "Is Guy okay?"

"Michellee, I'm going to have to call you back--"

"Michellee, your boyfriend's part of the Illuminati!" Cat shouted at the top of his lungs, causing Sam to glare at him.

"WHAT?!?" Michellee screamed from the other side of the phone.

"Uh, what?" McWinkle uttered from the other end. Sam soon realized that Michellee put on a speaker...so that both of Michellee and McWinkle could hear what's going on.

"No!" Grinch interrupted their conversation, not realizing that Sam was on call. "Guy is not a part of anything! Look, there's something inside of Guy. Something that was trying to control him."

"What do you mean by that? Guy has only one chemical inside of him," The Lorax responded with his arms crossed against his chest.

"Two," Grinch corrected the Lorax.

"Two?" The Lorax gasped, eyes broadened. "How?"

"I don't know." Grinch took out a tablet that showed the x-ray on Guy with a mixture of golden and red chemical fighting together inside of him. "There's a red chemical and a golden chemical inside of him. And they're fighting for control."

"Well, that explains Guy's nightmares and hallucinations," Gabriella responded while grabbing her small chin to think about something. "What can we do? Do we take out the red chemical--?"

"No, the red chemical seemed important. This book might have the answers we need," Grinch pointed out as he opened the forbidden book.

The group widened their eyes at the first page, which listed all the names that were written in ink like a tattoo on a page.

"Those were the names I saw at the library that Cat had in his fantasy island." Sam pointed at the list of names, which he didn't recognize all but two names. "S-Stan? And Jeckles Abbot?"

"Stan? Who's Stan?" Cat asked, his brow raised at Sam.

"Stan? As in Stan I Am, the butcher?" Grinch recognized the name without hesitation. "And Jeckles Abbot...the infamous crime boss?"

"Jeckles Abbot is dead," Sam replied, still thinking about the names he just saw. "And Stan...Stan is my father."

"Wow...small world," Grinch uttered, deep in thought.

"My dad is a butcher?" Sam inquired nervously, having no idea what Grinch was talking about.

Grinch nodded his head. "Yeah, Stan was...well, actually, he's a lot like you. He had a warm personality. Back in the day, I used to ignore those kinds of people. Now, I kind of regret being mean to him. He's only sold meat at the market in Floriana. I don't know if he still worked there--"

"He's-He's dead," Sam interrupted sadly, lowering his head and stared at the forbidden book.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Grinch sympathized softly.

"It's not your fault."

There's a brief pause in the group.

Meanwhile, Guy couldn't open his eyes. He only rested his eyes for a minute but something was preventing him from opening his eyes back up. Suddenly, something turned in Guy's stomach and it's not in a good way. He curled up and held his stomach while groaning in extreme pain.

_Guy's Dream:_

Guy snapped his eyes open, realizing that he had been lying on the cold tile floor of the cell. He slowly got up to his feet as the door opened by itself in front of him. With curiosity arousing in his mind, Guy ambled out of the cell and warily skulked down the dark hallway. He kept hearing voices but they didn't come from his mind. They came from a lit-up room on the right of the hallway. He snuck towards the doorway of the lit-up room and peeked over to witness a group of different colored furred men in lab coats and mouth masks gathering around the silver table. Their gloved hands were fidgeting on the table to create something. Guy watched the men with interest as something was glowing in the center of their circle. He was tempted to step into the room and checked to see what's being developed but he didn't know if he should.

Then, he heard loud screaming noises. Guy whipped his head to see the next room with blue lighting flickering on and off. He slowly strolled into the other room and witnessed about fifteen people screaming for their lives. They were all strapped onto the table and cried out in absolute pain. Guy became horrified by what he witnessed. Then, he saw something on the other side of the room, protected by a large panel of glass. He decided to warily walk through the room full of electrocuted people. His heart raced from hearing the agony those people were going through. He had no idea why they're being electrocuted. As he approached the glass, his eyes became enlarged by the sight.

There's a familiar yellow-furred woman with white fur from her collarbone to the top of her head, lying on the cold ground in the alleyway behind the glass. Then, the red-furred man, who appeared to be injured on the shoulder, stumbled into the dark alleyway.

"A-Ava?" The red-furred man noticed the woman and strode towards. He collapsed on his knees and picked her limp body up slightly. He gazed into her pale eyes that were opened and caressed her cheek with his bloody hand. "No...No! Who did this to you?!"

"S-Stan?" Guy muttered underneath his breath, recognizing the short red-furred man.

Stan buried his head into his wife's lifeless chest, sobbing. "No...No...Please, don't go."

Stan glanced around the alleyway to notice one more thing important to him.

"Wait...where's Samuel?" Stan asked the question, mostly to himself. He slowly set his wife's body down on the ground and stood on his feet, his legs wobbling. "Samuel! Samuel I Amuel! Come out, son!"

A dark van pulled up in front of him, causing him to stare at it frantically. Before he could make a run for it, a couple of men in black jumpsuits, with masks embroidered the horrifying circular symbol with two snakes crossing over each other in white, tackled Stan away from his deceased wife.

"What are you doing to me?! What do you want from me?!" Stan yelled with tears in his eyes and stained on his cheeks. "Where's my son?! Where's my son, you sons of yips?! What did you do to him?!"

"Get in the van!" One of the men ordered as they both grabbed his arms. "It's time to go back home!"

"Get away from me!" Stan screamed, struggling helplessly to get out of the grips of those men. "Get away from me! Give me back my son! Give me back my son!"

The men shoved Stan into the vehicle while he kept pleading to give his son back. The men closed the doors shut and locked it. When they hopped into the van, they drove off somewhere in the dark where Guy could never see where they're going.

_**This brought confusion and shock to Guy. Stan was...alive?! Where are those men taking Sam's father?!** _

Suddenly, a shadowy hooded figure appeared behind Guy without Guy knowing.

"Some things are best left undiscovered. Right, Guy?" The hooded figure whispered into Guy's ear.

Before Guy could turn around or run, the hooded figure covered his mouth and pulled him into the darkness. He had his hand reached out towards the light as the figure dragged him back to the darkness.

_Reality:_

Cat noticed something on the hologram x-ray that the Grinch had out and squinted at it with pure curiosity tickling in his brain. "Uh...was that supposed to happen?"

Everyone glanced at the hologram to see the red chemical attempting to consume the golden chemical.

Karlos raised his brow and stared at it from his fishbowl. "Uh...should we put a stop to that--?"

Gabriella immediately flipped through the pages and analyzed the pages and the images of people getting tortured. "This is horrible."

Sam glanced down to see what Gabriella was looking at and observed the pages that had pictures of people being tortured and in pain. His gaze softened when looking at them. "Yeah...it is."

"And that's why the book is forbidden," Cat stated with his arms crossed.

Grinch immediately headed for the basement. "I got to go down there!"

Cat quickly followed after the Grinch into the basement. "I'll come with you!"

"Not with me on top of your hat!" Karlos shouted while his fishbowl was still leaning back and forth with Cat's hat.

The Lorax trailed behind Cat and the Grinch into the basement. They quickly stepped downstairs, hearing groans and yelps in pain. When they reached into the basement, they saw Guy clenching his teeth in absolute pain.

"Guy!" The Lorax shouted as he quickly passed by Cat and Grinch and hopped onto the bed Guy had been laying on. "Guy! Wake up, you're dreaming! Wake up!"

"Is he okay?" Cat asked as Grinch checked the x-ray again.

"I think the red chemical is going into effect," Grinch hypothesized, striding into a lab by the x-ray and trying to find medicines that might help with Guy's pain.

"What do you mean that the red chemical is going into 'effect'?!" The Lorax shouted his question at Grinch.

Karlos noticed Guy beginning to protract and retract his claws, which that never happened before. "Uh...does Guy normally have claws?"

Cat arched his brow and glanced down at Guy's hands, more specifically...his claws. "Uh...I-I don't think so. Hey guys! You might want to take a look at Guy here!"

Grinch and the Lorax turned their heads to glance at Guy, who's clenching his teeth and his body rattling against the bed. Grinch quickly glanced back at his monitor with widened eyes.

"Uh oh...the red chemical is developing something inside of him," Grinch uttered.

"What?!" The Lorax yelled, starting to panic. "What is it?!"

Grinch shrugged as he approached Guy on the bed and held Guy's arm down so that it wouldn't rattle like the rest of his body. Cat followed this action by grabbing Guy's other arm. Guy's body continued to bounce against the bed, his tears leaking out of his eyes.

"Guy! Wake up! Snap out of it!" Grinch screamed and slapped Guy across the face.

Guy's face took an impact from the hit but he didn't snap his eyes open.

"The slap is not working!" Grinch yelled to Cat.

"Well, now it doesn't," Cat muttered to himself sarcastically.

"Help...! Ugh!" Guy screamed while gritting his teeth. Cat noticed that there were fangs slowly forming in the top corners of Guy's mouth. With eyes bulged out, Cat immediately took out a small thick rope from his hat without lifting it and tied Guy's wrist onto the metal bar of the bed.

"I'll be right back!" Cat informed loudly and immediately bolted out of the basement.

While holding Guy down, Grinch glanced over his shoulder at the Lorax, who's already eating popcorn.

"Uh, aren't you going to help?" Grinch growled lowly at the Lorax.

"There's nothing I can do to help in this situation. Besides, I'm starting to be interested in how Guy would turn out after his 'transformation'," The Lorax responded while munching on popcorn.

"I'm sorry, transformation?"

The Lorax gestured to Guy's fur, which was fluctuating back and forth from orange to red. Guy moaned and growled at the same time, causing confusion for the Grinch.

"You got to be kidding me," Grinch uttered plainly.

~.~

Meanwhile, Sam explained the whole situation to Michellee, McWinkle, and unknowingly Chad through the phone with Gabriella sitting next to him.

"So, let me get this straight, I Am," McWinkle began, his voice more than just pure confusion and louder since Sam had the speaker on. "You and Guy are with the most infamous magician criminal, Cat in the Hat, and his daughter, Gabby, right?"

Gabriella nodded her head a bit with a small giggle. "Close enough."

"And then," McWinkle continued. "You were in this small town that was already destroyed and fought a bunch of spiders and robots...along with that crazy priest, you guys somehow survived the nuclear bomb, and now--now, you guys are seeking help from the Lorax and the Grinch about Guy's powers where we're not sure what the red and gold chemical represented inside of him. Am I getting the just of it?"

Sam smiled nervously. "Yep. That's the just of it."

Michellee sighed from the other line. "Is Guy going to be okay? Will the red chemical hurt him?"

"It's the cause of him having recurring nightmares," Gabriella clarified calmly to Michellee as she flipped through the pages carefully. "Hopefully, that's all the red chemical can do to him."

Sam glanced down at the book to notice something eye-catching. "Wait! Stop right there!"

Gabriella stopped at the page where Sam told her to stop. Within the page, there's a purple chemical in the book as Gabriella read the following passage on the side:

_"The Elixir will neutralize the greater power if deemed necessary."_

"Greater power?" Gabriella repeated the words.

Sam broadened his eyes with a small gasp of realization. "Wait! Greater power! It has to mean Guy!"

"Because Guy has the greater power," McWinkle piped in on their discovery from the phone.

"Will it hurt him?" Michellee questioned, worried in her tone.

"I don't think it will," Sam responded with a hopeful tone.

Suddenly, Cat busted through the basement door, panting a bit.

"Guys! Did the book tell any of you about how to prevent Guy from becoming a monstrous beast?!" Cat shouted his question in pure panic.

There's a brief awkward silence.

"I'm sorry, what?" McWinkle uttered from the other end of the phone.

Gabriella glanced back at the book and then shifted her focus on Cat. "There's a way we can neutralize his powers but I'm not sure if we have it."

"Hold on, what do you guys mean that Guy will become a monstrous beast?!" Michellee shouted her question from the other end of the phone.

Cat, sweating like crazy, glared at the phone. "It's exactly what I mean! Guy's going to tear the whole freaking village apart if we don't put a stop to it! So, Gabriella, what can neutralize Guy's powers?"

"An elixir. It's a purple chemical that can neutralize Guy's powers at any given time," Gabriella explained to Cat.

Sam looked back at the page and found other words that read:

_For a limited time of a day._

"Um...it says that it will only neutralize him for a day," Sam added the information.

"Do we have it?" Gabriella asked Cat.

Cat twitched his brow and pulled something out from underneath his hat while his hat was on top of his head. Then, he pulled out a purple chemical in a tube and examined it.

"Hmm, so that's what you are?" Cat muttered to the purple chemical.

Sam had his eyes enlarged with complete shock. "You had that this whole time?!"

"Yeah, but I didn't know what it does," Cat answered with a shrug.

"Well, now we do," Gabriella added on the more positive note.

A sudden abrupt knock came from the front door.

"Rejoice, Death is not the end!" Someone shouted from the other side of the door.

Cat groaned irritably. "Oh, give us a big fat break."

Sam snatched the elixir out of Cat's hand. "We got to use this now."

"Right." Gabriella nodded her head in agreement.

"Okay, you guys take care of Guy. I'll take care of those freaks at the front door," Cat determined while both Sam and Gabriella nodded their heads in agreement.

"Alright, let's go!" Gabriella replied urgently as she took Sam by the hand and led him into the basement. Cat immediately closed the door and set his hat on the table next to the forbidden book.

Karlos glanced up at Cat immediately from his fishbowl. "What are you going to do?"

"I have an idea. MAX!" Cat shouted out the dog's name. Max, the dog, came running into the living room but noticed it's Cat calling him instead of the Grinch. Max growled at him.

"What?" Cat inquired with an arched brow.

"I-I don't think dogs like cats," Karlos pointed out with a stutter.

"And cats like to eat fish alive. Yet you don't see me trying to eat you," Cat stated plainly with his arms crossed and a pout.

The knocking continued.

"You can't escape from your fate!" A shout boomed from the front door.

Max, getting the hint of who those people were at the front door, scurried into the kitchen and hid in the dark corner, whimpering.

Cat furrowed his brow at Max. "Scardy dog."

"What's going on?!" Michellee shouted from the phone, which Cat noticed.

Cat cleared his throat and then impersonated Sam's voice. "I got to go, Michellee, Byee!"

Cat ended the call and closed the lid of Sam's phone.

"What do we do?" Karlos asked desperately, shaking in every fiber of his small body.

_**Cat pondered for a moment, trying to come up with the greatest idea in the history of tv shows, fanfics, and all the other stuff you people would write about this show. And then...that idea hit him like a lightbulb flickering on in his brain.** _

Cat became enlightened by the idea and then cornered his famous smug mischievous smirk at Karlos. "How good is your acting?"

~.~

There were six buff men standing outside with a scrawny yellow-furred priest standing outside and waiting for someone to answer the door. Finally, the door opened slowly and dramatically. The men looked up to see a dirty green-furred who with a round tummy and scent that reeked from the garbage. His eyeballs were yellow with green iris around the dark pupil with a puckered pink lips. An extra layer of green fur covered his chest while standing in front of the seven men without any clothes on.

The priest slowly glanced at the picture of the Grinch, which was much different than the Grinch standing in front of him.

"Are you...the Grinch?" the priest inquired with a raised brow.

"That stole Christmas," Grinch claimed with a mischievous deep voice.

The priest glared into the eyes of the Grinch. "Word on the street that you're hiding those Outsiders in your cave."

"And I heard that priests were supposed to wear a cross as their necklace instead of that cursed symbol, but do you see me complaining?" Grinch talked back with his arms crossed against his puffed up chest.

Suddenly, the brown dog bit the priest's leg and tugged at it like it's a tug-a-war.

"Max!" Grinch shouted at the dog. "The leg is not a chew toy!"

"Get your mangy mutt off of me!" The priest growled as he kicked Max away.

Max tumbled over but then recovered in all fours. "Hey! Who are you calling mangy mutt?!"

Grinch lost his glare and glanced back at the priest with broadened eyes. "Uh...give me a second, boys."

He quickly shut the door, leaving the priest and his man standing on the porch idly.

"You're supposed to act like a dog," They heard a voice muffled from the other side of the door.

"I'm a goldfish, not a flipping dog," Another voice whispered lowly but still heard.

"I'll fix that."

The door finally prompted open to reveal the Grinch with his fist on his hip like a mother glaring at the cheating ex-husband.

"Sorry about Maxie. He thinks he's a goldfish when HE'S REALLY NOT!" Grinch yelled the last part while switching his glare at Max, who just stared up at him blankly. "Isn't he?"

Max moved his eyeballs over at the priest and the men, who had hardened gazes set on him. Max whimpered while laying down on his stomach slowly. He covered his face with his paws and rolled over his back to show his tummy to show the admissions of embarrassment and guilt.

"That's what I thought," Grinch sneered and shifted his focus on the priest. "Do you even have a warrant?"

The priest shoved the Grinch aside with a grunt and stormed into the cave with the men trailing behind him.

Grinch had his arms crossed with a pout. "So much for courtesy." He slammed the door and watched the men looking around the cave.

The priest signaled three of his men to check upstairs. The three men checked upstairs while the priest gestured the rest to check the kitchen. The priest turned to face the Grinch, who approached him with a glare.

"Understand that you must turn in those Outsiders, otherwise...thing will not end in your favor," the priest threatened with a snarl.

"I'm an Outsider myself. Why aren't you going to kill me?"

"Because you're not our target. You're not a part of the Outsider's family now, aren't you?"

"Which Outsider?" Grinch growled with his arms crossed.

"The Outsider with extraordinary powers. We need him to bring justice and peace in this world...apparently, he needed persuasion."

"What kind of persuasion?! What kind of an Outsider are you yacking on about?! You guys aren't just barging into my cave for something as preposterous as that, are you?!"

"I say that if you are interfering with his apprehension along with his family's, you will be dealt with harshly."

"Oh, so like killing me."

"Much worse than that, Mr. Grinch. Much worse than that."

~.~

Sam had already injected the elixir into Guy while Guy slept on the bed in the basement more peacefully this time, much to the shock of both the real Grinch and the Lorax.

"What's the purple liquid?" Grinch questioned, becoming more fascinated at the purple chemical being able to calm Guy's nerves and neutralizing his powers through the x-ray.

"It's called elixir. It should neutralize Guy's powers only for a day," Gabriella explained in the matter-of-factly tone.

The Lorax twitched his funny yellow mustache. "Does that mean that is the cure for what's happening to Guy?"

"No...not exactly. Like Gabriella said, it'll only last a day," Sam responded while staring at his briefcase buddy, who's sleeping deeply.

"Well...there has to be a way where we can make sure that Guy wouldn't turn into something like a monster and kill people with his powers while have Guy try to use his powers for good," Grinch stated, pacing around the room quickly and searching through cabinets.

"Even that sounds complicated to do," Gabriella uttered while rubbing her arm nervously.

The Lorax shrugged his shoulders. "We're just going to have to figure out how. We can't just take the chemicals away from him because it's already implanted in his blood cells and will kill him if we try to extract it out of him."

"Maybe you could train Guy on how he can control his powers," Sam pointed out with a small smile of hope.

"Huh?" The Lorax had his brow arched.

Sam stepped closer to the Lorax. "Think about it. You and Guy have the same powers--"

"Uh, no we don't, Sam. Here's the thing," The Lorax began while licking his lips to explain the situation. "Guy's powers are way beyond my powers. All I can do is teleport and telekinesis. Oh, and I speak for the trees and help control nature if necessary. But...beyond that, that's all I can do. In all honesty, if Guy and I were bound to fight against each other, it's most likely that I will lose against him if he does have control of his powers. Or even if he became a raging monster...you never know."

"Wait, you were able to take away Jeckles's powers. Why couldn't you do that with Guy?" Sam popped in the question, remembering how the Lorax randomly took away Jeckles's powers without any explanation.

The Lorax sighed deeply. "I was able to take away Jeckles's powers because he made a mistake. He waited too long to put the chemical inside of him. A chemical like what Guy has will take a long time to fully grow inside of you. However, when Jeckles had the power inside of him, he immediately used it and Guy...didn't."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sam probed his questions further.

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Gabriella hopped into the conversation.

"What I mean is...I personally wouldn't blame Guy because Guy didn't know that he had powers but Jeckles knew and Jeckles used it to his own advantages. When you use your powers immediately, it won't connect to your bloodstreams immediately and will take longer to develop inside of you. Guy, however, never used it until he found out that he did have powers. But by that time, the powers were almost developed," The Lorax explained his logic. However, he added a little laugh and continued on. "Although, I think the healing powers were quicker to develop. Jeckles powers were more destruc---tive."

The Lorax had his eyes widened while whipping his head up to glance at the x-ray. He let out a small gasp from his mouth, his eyes enlarged with realization.

"Uh...Lorax?" Sam called out, tilting his head in confusion on why the Lorax was staring at the x-ray with bewilderment.

The Lorax shifted his glance at Sam and Gabriella. "I think I know what the red chemical represents."

"What?!" Both Gabriella and Sam shouted simultaneously.

"What?" Grinch responded late, not having any idea what's going on.

Suddenly, before the Lorax could answer, the real timid Max entered the basement through the small elevator in the lab area.

"Max? What's going on?" The Grinch inquired out of his friend, noticing the dog trembling in fear. 

Max barked a few sentences and then added a whimper at the end of it.

Grinch's eyes enlarged. "You got to be kidding me."

"What's going on?" Gabriella spoke up as Grinch checked the cameras of his home above the basement.

"Who are those men and...who the heck is impersonating a disgusting version of me?!" Grinch shouted, offended at the end of his sentence.

Both Sam and Gabriella with deadpanned stares at each other like they knew who already was up there. "Cat."

~.~

The disgusting version of the Grinch stood there idly with his fists on his hips while leaning over slightly with an arched brow.

"Stay here any longer, I will call the police on you!" The Grinch threatened with a low growl.

"The police won't do anything about it," The priest responded with a laugh at Grinch's threat.

Grinch furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

A wry smile curved upon the priest's lips. "Because they work for us. They just don't know it yet." 

"Huh, you guys are getting sneaky there. Then I'll get my lawyer!"

"Lawyers work for us too."

"Ugh! Bleeding hearts of the world unite!" Grinch cursed to himself.

One of the buff men noticed the basement door and warily approached it. As the buff man opened the door, it revealed the real Grinch, who had a wicked grin plastered on his face and a candy cane shotgun.

"Ho, Ho, HO!" the real Grinch growled and shot the man standing in front of him. The man flew back away from him.

The priest and five other men immediately glanced over at the real Grinch, their eyes enlarging in complete confusion and shock. When they looked back at the fake Grinch, the costume of the disgusting version of the Grinch laid on the floor, letting the imposter disappear.

"What?! Where is he?!" The priest demanded as they immediately swept their gazes around the room.

Grinch smirked and had his arms crossed to see someone above them. "I would look up if I were you."

The priest furrowed his brows at the Grinch. "You rotten who! You think you're smarter than us--?!"

As the priest trailed off his sentences, Cat jumped down from the ceiling and reappeared in the darkness of the kitchen. He took down the men behind him effortlessly without causing attention by punching them and using his usual hat tricks to stun the enemy before going in for the kill. As he took down the men, he looted them as if it's not a big deal.

Grinch watched the fight behind the priest in an odd fascination. The priest stopped himself from talking and froze in position. When the priest turned around abruptly, Cat had a handgun pressed up against his neck.

"I just got done taking down five of your men by using wits and tricks from my lucky hat. To be honest, I don't know how many more bullets your men have left before they came here. But let me assure you, you are about to face your own fate if you don't explain to us who you are working for," Cat snarled while impersonating a Clint Eastwood voice. "Even if you don't answer the question and this gun will blow your head off, you got to ask yourself a question...do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"

The priest trembled a bit. "Who I work for is the whispers."

"And who are the whispers?"

The priest shrugged his shoulders. "We don't know who."

"So, you're telling me that you've been working for voices that share no identity to you whatsoever?"

The priest nodded his head.

"Alrighty then. So, where do you work?"

"Your minds are feeble and weak. You think that you can narrow answers down and expect something 'realistic' out of them. Fantasy can become a reality but reality can never become a fantasy."

"We're not here for your riddles," Grinch groaned irritably as he approached the priest and Cat. "You have a chance to live. All you have to do is answer the question. Who do you work for and why are you here?"

"You said the question...not questions," The priest informed with a cocky tone.

"Don't be a smart yipper and answer the questions!" Cat barked while cocking the gun back.

"Fine...Guy...Guy--Guy--" The priest stuttered, trying to form words into his mouth.

Cat and Grinch stared at him with concern while noticing that the priest's head twitching and body shaking.

"What's going on?" Cat uttered his question with shock in his tone.

"The-The v-voices are c-calling me ho-home...Guy-Guy will be-be awa-awakened by-by **_him_** ," The priest sputtered, shaking uncontrollably.

"Him? Who are you talking about?" Grinch interrogated quickly.

There's a sudden silence and the priest's stance became lifeless with blood trickling down his cheeks from his eyes, nose, and lips. His eyes rolled back and the priest collapsed on the floor, blood pooling a little around his head.

Both Cat and Grinch were left with broadened eyes in horror.

"What just happened?" Grinch questioned immediately, his bigger heart thumping against his chest and revealed in slightly through the beating.

Cat shrugged his shoulders while keeping his horrified gaze at the dead body. "I-I don't know." He dropped the gun and became tempted to find what happened to the priest. The priest couldn't just randomly drop dead...could he? Was someone watching them or even listening to them? What caused such things to happen? Cat knelt down and searched the priest's body. Suddenly, he felt something along the forehead and temples of the priest. He immediately pulled it off of the priest's head with force and heard a rippling sound. He scrutinized the metal device that appeared to be a headcollar with sharp tips around the inside of the collar. It had blood dripping from it as if it stabbed the priest in the head when trying to talk to both him and the Grinch.

Grinch noticed the strange device. "What is that thing?"

"I don't know...but whatever that thing is, it must be controlling those men that were coming after us. Almost like they're mindless robots," Cat theorized while examining the device more.

The Lorax exited out of the basement to check on Cat and the Grinch. "Oh, there you guys...are."

The Lorax looked around the room full of passed out men and a dead priest.

"Uh...what happened here?" The Lorax inquired with his finger raised.

Cat and Grinch glanced at each other briefly and then shifted their attention back at the Lorax.

"The men and the priest is after Guy...it turns out that they are being controlled by whatever this thing is," Cat explained as he held out the strange device.

A gasp escaped from the Lorax's lips. "Oh no."

"What?" Grinch asked, raising a brow.

The Lorax chewed his bottom lip for a moment with his fists clenched tight. "I think I know something that has all the answers."

"Where?"

The Lorax stayed silent for a moment and gazed at the forbidden book that had been laying on the table for a while now. And then, he spoke in a low voice. "The safe place."

~.~

A broken two-story store stood alone in the Truffala Tree forest, which was no longer bright and beautiful like it used to be. The living creatures were nowhere in sight. There were no birds tweeting a sweet song except for the crows and ravens, who crowed of a haunting melody of decay. There's a circle of cobblestones surrounding the only living dirt with a word engraved on it: _Unless._

The Lorax guided Cat, Grinch, Max, Sam, Gabriella--who's carrying the forbidden book, and Guy--who's passed out and being carried by Cat and Grinch--through the dark forest and gazed up at the boarded up top widow that left a gap at the bottom.

"I know you're up there, kid. We brought this for you," The Lorax stated, pulling out fifteen cents, a nail, and a shell of a great-great-great-grandfather snail. Someone swung out a pail and lowered it towards the Lorax. The Lorax tossed the items in it and knocked it so that whoever was up high in the building could pull the pail back up. The pail was lifted back up at the boarded window as a green gloved hand snatched the items from inside of the pail.

Then, they heard a sigh.

"I thought you're never coming back," The mysterious voice uttered from the top window. The voice had the sound of an old man who had lived his life to the fullest but full of regret.

"I wasn't going to after what you did to their homes," The Lorax spoke up, coughing at the end of his sentence.

A soft wistful sigh came again. "Ah yes...I remembered...I spent all these years thinking about it."

The Lorax cleared his throat, trying to breathe through the smog air. "I can't stay here for too long. But there are people out there that needed your help."

They heard footsteps coming towards the boarded windows. All they saw from below was someone's blue eyes twinkling in the broken darkened room they were isolated in while he extended his hands and arms out of the building. He had his elbows rested on the board at the bottom board with his wrists crossing over each other.

"My help?"

"Yes, they were running from those people who were hunting them down," The Lorax explained while gesturing to the group following him.

"Those religious nutjobs? The ones worshipping some kind of whispers?"

"Yes."

The man tapped his fingers on the outside decayed wall of his store to ponder about what's going on. That's where a small toothy smile was formed.

"The enemy of my enemy...is my friend," The man stated while drawing his arms back into the window. They heard creaking in the store and the door unlocked, revealing a tall old man in a golden light. He had a name tagged on his green coat and written in cursive:

_"The Oncelor."_

_**To Be Continued...** _

_**A/N: Sorry, about taking long on this chapter. I had other chapters uploaded into a website called Wattpad if you guys ever want to check those out. Or you can wait here for a new long chapter, that's fine with me! Have a blessed day everyone!** _


	9. Chapter 9

**_Episode Nine: The Haunting Recognition_ **

Goat and Michael roamed through the hallways of the strange place while E.B was waddling behind them. Her feet began to grow tired from walking aimlessly around the building for too long while she fixed her gaze down on the ground. Michael checked on her by looking over his shoulder and realized that she’s dragging her feet. 

“Getting tired of walking?” Michael asked gently with an arched brow. 

E.B nodded her head slightly. “Yeah, a little.” 

Michael pondered for a moment. Then he knelt down on the cold ground with his arms behind his back for her to climb on. “Here, climb on.”

“Wha-What?” E.B stuttered, her eyes widening. 

“What? You never heard of a piggyback ride?” 

“Yeah...but--won’t I be too heavy?”

“Nah, it’s fine. I carried heavier loads before,” Michael explained with a small reassuring smile. 

E.B smiled delightfully as she climbed onto Michael’s back and had her legs rested on his shoulders. Michael held her ankles gently while standing back up. She held onto his head and rested her head on his.

Meanwhile, Goat noticed a room where those maniacs had their stuff and hid beside the doorway. He gave a quick peek to observe the room and saw that their weapons were looted from them. 

He groaned irritably. “Darn you, people. Okay, Michael, we’re gonna--”

Goat turned around to notice Michael giving E.B a piggyback ride. E.B waved her hand slightly to him while the fox had his brow raised. 

“What? The child’s feet are getting tired,” Michael explained the situation defensively. 

“I ain’t judging,” Goat responded with a small smirk cornered in his mouth. But the smirk faded away as he glanced back into the room. “They had our weapons. Since you got the kid on your back, you stay here and keep a close watch to make sure no one is roaming through the halls. I’ll get the weapons.”

“Okay...is there anyone guarding the room?” Michael whispered his question to Goat. 

Goat took a peek again and then shifted his gaze back at Michael. “No, there’s no one in there. It should be easy.”

“They have cameras for each room,” E.B informed softly. “So...please be careful.” 

“Got it,  niña. I’ll be right back,” Goat responded with determination in his voice. 

Goat immediately entered the room with a stride while Michael and E.B were looking around the hallway. When E.B glanced down the hallway behind them, she noticed someone with three green scopes. The light shined on the short person, who had a bloody lab coat and a huge gray mask that looked like the face of a monster. 

E.B widened her eyes in pure horror. “Uh, Michael--”

Michael whipped his head down the hallway to the person, who had a saw blade on one hand and a claw on the other. He began to sweat from staring at the person standing idly in the hall. He slowly picked E.B off of his shoulders and placed her on the ground. 

“E.B, run as fast as you can...don’t even stop,” Michael whispered his instructions to E.B.

“What about you and Goat?” E.B uttered, beginning to be scared of what’s about to happen.

Michael noticed a pipe and picked it up as a weapon. “I can defend myself. Make a run for it.” As he glanced over at the figure ahead of him, the figure began bolting for him. “Run!” 

E.B immediately sprinted away from Michael while Michael held out his pipe to defend himself from the person attacking him. The person in the huge mask tackled the fox onto the ground and that’s where the fox recognized the suspect. 

“Oh boy,” Michael muttered to himself as the suspect, known as the Biologist, raised his saw blade and turned it on so that it could cut into the fox’s head. Before the Biologist could cut through Michael’s skull, Goat tackled him away from the fox with aggression. 

“Get off of him!” Goat yelled at the Biologist. 

The Biologist glared at Goat with a growl and charged at him with his saw. Goat dodged the saw and then used his horns to shove him away from both him and Michael.

Goat glanced over his shoulder to notice Michael watching the fight intensely. “Go, zorro! Go find E.B before she gets abducted again! I’ll fight him off!”

“Are you sure you can handle this--?”

“Yes, I’m sure! Now, go!” Goat shouted urgently. 

Michael watched intensely, unsure of what to do.

~.~ 

E.B sprinted down the hallway, away from Michael and Goat. Her feet were sore from running too fast but she couldn’t slow down. That crazy maniac with a bloody lab coat and a freaky mask appeared to be a monster. A monster with a saw blade and a claw for his hands. As she ran through the hallway, she noticed a couple of robots floating out of the room in the right. She let out a quiet gasp as someone grabbed her by the forearm and yanked her into the dark hiding spot and away from the sight before the robots glanced down at the hall. A hand covered her mouth, causing the little girl to mumble something incoherently and struggle in someone’s grasp. 

“Shh,” She heard someone shushing her. 

E.B glanced up quickly and briefly and saw a vixen holding her closely for protection purposes. The vixen peeked around the corner to see that the robots roamed in the other direction of the hallway. The vixen sighed in relief while hearing another commotion happening on the other side of the hallway.

“Michael! What are you doing?! I told you to run!” She heard someone shouting as both E.B and the vixen glanced over at the other direction to see Goat and Michael fighting the Biologist. E.B’s eyes became enlarged the more she glanced at that monster fighting both Goat and Michael, that’s what the vixen noticed. 

“I ain’t leaving without you!” Michael protested to Goat as he tried to get the Biologist away from Goat. The Biologist kicked Michael into the room behind the fox. The Biologist growled and shut the door quickly before Michael could get back up. 

“StAy iN tHeRe,” The Biologist growled lowly, his voice glitchy behind the mask. Goat jumped on the Biologist’s back and wrapped his front leg around his neck. 

“Get back here!” Goat barked while holding his front leg with his other arm to tightened his grip around the Biologist’s neck. 

The Biologist groaned loudly and slammed his head into Goat’s but Goat didn’t let go. He turned back against the wall and slammed Goat against it. The wall cracked slightly while Goat tried to gain consciousness. The Biologist slammed his body against the wall some more to get Goat off of him but Goat wouldn’t let go. Unknowingly, the crack on the wall got bigger and bigger. 

The Biologist lifted his claw and attempted to grab Goat’s eye but Goat dodged it and clenched his teeth onto one of the tip of the claw so that the Biologist couldn’t use it again. The claw pinched his nose to the point where it was barely bleeding. 

Goat groaned in pain as the Biologist took out his sawblade and jabbed it against Goat’s foreleg wrapped around his throat, splashing blood everywhere. Goat screamed out in pain as he loosened his grip. The Biologist took this opportunity to elbow him in the gut and shoved him against the wall away from the crack on the wall behind him. He slowly turned around to face Goat, whose front leg was bleeding from the saw blade cutting deep into his skin. 

Goat’s eyes were beginning to be droopy from bleeding out too much. “Come on, give me your best shot.”

The Biologist growled while raising his sawblade to end Goat’s life. However, out of the corner of Goat’s eyes, he saw a familiar vixen running up to the Biologist and tackled him against the crack on the wall. The Biologist kicked her away from him and swiped his sawblade at her. She stumbled back, causing him to miss her. She kicked him in the chest, letting him stagger back against the cracked wall. 

She flipped her bangs out of her face so that she could see who she’s fighting against. The vixen charged at the Biologist again and shoved him against the cracked wall. He pushed her away from him and swiped his sawblade at her, which only cut her white jacket and barely scratched her stomach. She hardened her glare at the Biologist and threw out her small round devices that stunned him. However, it didn’t seem to be in effect for too long since he got back up on his feet. 

As the vixen and the Biologist were fighting against each other, Goat had his eyes enlarged while his left one twitched. The way she fought the Biologist with her moves and the way she was able to dodge all attacks from the maniac made his heart green with envy. 

Just to prove that he’s better than her, Goat grunted while circling his injured front leg and placed it behind his back. He stood up in his hind legs and glared at the Biologist and the vixen. Before any of them could make a move, something broke through the cracked wall, with debris falling on top of the Biologist. The vixen staggered back away from whatever broke through the wall. 

E.B finally skulked out of her hiding spot and approached Goat, noticing his injury.

“Are you okay, Goat?” E.B asked Goat, who just glanced over at his injured arm and then shifted his focus back on her with a warm smile.

“I’m fine,  niña,” Goat replied. When he turned his head to face the vixen, his warm smile faded. 

The vixen dusted herself off and stared at the creature extending its neck in front of her. She pulled out a pistol with a worried gaze that whatever the creature was, it’s going to attack her. However, Goat strode towards her and lowered her arm to lower the weapon pointed at the creature, recognizing it with a stern glare at it. She flicked a gaze at him with widened eyes in shock.

“Lower the gun, Zorra,” Goat warned the vixen. 

The vixen nodded her head slowly in understanding and lowered the gun. The creature craned its head and looked around the area, appearing to be a chickeraffe. 

E.B recognized the chickeraffe with a big childish smile on her face. “MR. JENKINS!” 

The chickeraffe, Mr. Jenkins, turned his head to notice E.B and warbled happily to see her. She ran up to the chickeraffe and hugged him around his long yellow thin neck. Mr. Jenkins nuzzled his beak on her back to show affection and care. As she rubbed her hand on his beak, the chickeraffe licked her excitedly, causing her to giggle at her once ‘temporary pet’. 

Jean climbed up to one of the chickeraffe’s big fur ball antennas.

Goat noticed Jean up on the chickeraffe’s head. “What are you doing up there, amigo?!” 

“Trying to figure out how to bust us out of this building!” Jean shouted his question back. 

Mr. Jenkins, the chickeraffe, suddenly noticed Goat with a furious glare. He growled at the goat, recognizing him from somewhere before all of this.

_ Flashback:  _

_ “So, you’re here to rescue your poor animal, am I right?!” Goat yelled his question while standing on all fours in the snow, upon the highest mountain with Mr. Jenkins caught in the net behind him. He glared at Sam and Guy, who had their stomachs laid on the cold snow. _

_ Guy clenched his teeth and stood up on his feet with a glare back at the Goat. “That’s our friend! Hand him over!”  _

_ “No can do, compadre!” Goat growled back. “You both are quite smart, I’ll give ya that! But you should’ve thought twice before you decided to trick me! You know, on second thought!”  _

_ Before Guy and Sam got up to fight Goat, Goat stood on his hind legs and took out his net guns from his ankles. He shot the nets at both Guy and Sam, getting them tangled up in them. _

_ “The boss man can wait! I’m going to have so much fun dealing with both of you!” Goat replied with a smirk on his face, walking towards both Sam and Guy. He grabbed their nets while they began to scream in panic.  _

_ “Before I die, tell Mom that I’m sorry for the juice I spilled!” Sam babbled out loud as Goat lifted him up first since he’s small.  _

_ “How am I going to tell her if I’m going to die too?!” Guy screamed his question with full panic.  _

_ “Tell our moms for us!!”  _

_ The memory of his own mother flashed in Mr. Jenkins’s mind when Sam screamed his words. He remembered being entangled in the net, being dragged away from his mother while his mother chased after him. His mother was unable to protect him...now, he’s entangled in the net, watching his new family being endangered by that goat. Then, his protective instincts finally activated. He roared loudly that echoed in the mountain, causing shock to Guy and Goat, and used his sharp purple feathers to cut out of the net. When Goat thrusted Sam off the cliff, Mr. Jenkins extended his legs to grab Sam and pulled him back on the ledge. He placed Sam behind him while moving Guy behind him as well with his leg before Goat got a chance to grab Guy.  _

_ And that’s when both he and Goat fought the most intense battle.  _

_ Present:  _

Mr. Jenkins drew his brows together and warbled aggressively at Goat. Goat stood back, remembering their encounter. However, E.B stepped between Mr. Jenkins and Goat.

“Whoa, Mr. Jenkins, it’s okay,” E.B soothed the chickeraffe. Mr. Jenkins squawked innocently with his brow raised but then tried to step over the child to get to Goat, However, she kept getting in between him and Goat, understanding the situation. “Whoa, wait, Mr. Jenkins, it’s okay. He’s our friend now. He’s our friend.”

“Oui,” Jean responded while sliding down between the chickeraffe’s eyes to have him look at the mouse. “Goat is our friend, mon ami.”

“He’s done some horrible stuff to you, huh?” E.B guessed while scratching underneath Mr. Jenkins’s chin. Mr. Jenkins nodded his head sadly in response.

“Excuse me, it’s called doing my job,” Goat added with his arms crossed against his chest, causing Mr. Jenkins to growl and shoot a deadly glare at him, which didn’t phase Goat for one bit.

“You mean, your criminal job?” E.B implied while turning her head to look up at Goat with a smirk. 

The vixen had her eyes bulged out in sudden recognition and smiled brightly. “Hey, that’s where I heard about you. Weren’t you the famous animal poacher known as the Goat?”

“Weren’t you that damsel in distress that Michael had to save the other day known as Vicky?” Goat replied back with a sneer. 

The vixen, Vicky, had her fists on her hips with a small glare. “I ain’t no damsel in distress.”

“You seemed like it in Michael’s eyes,” Goat teased, smirking at the fact that he’s got her a tiny bit mad at him. Then, an immediate reminder went through his head. “Wait, Michael!” 

Goat turned to the door where the Biologist kicked Michael in and pounded on the door. “Michael! Are you in there?!”

Vicky noticed the Biologist moving his limbs around the debris. “Guys, I think it’s time to go.”

Mr. Jenkins glanced down at the Biologist, becoming fearful of the maniac. Before any movement was made, he picked E.B up from the ground with his beak and tossed her on his back. He sprinted down the hallway, leaving both Vicky and Goat behind while Jean was holding onto Mr. Jenkins's beak.

“Mr. Jenkins, wait--!” E.B shouted but Mr. Jenkins wouldn’t listen. 

Vicky immediately chased after Mr. Jenkins and E.B as Goat busted down the door and noticed Michael not there. However, there’s a dark hallway that Michael might’ve explored. Goat did not hesitate to pursue into the dark hallway and blockade the door behind as the Biologist got up. The Biologist charged after the door and used his sawblade to cut through the door. As the door cut down along with its blockade, the Biologist strode into the dark hallway, seeing that Goat disappeared into the darkness. 

~.~ 

Michael, the fox, roamed around the dark hallway, more curious about where he was. The more he explored down the hallway, the more his heart raced for whatever the reason was. Although, the stench of blood tickled his nose and made him turn his head at the door. As he’s approaching the door, he noticed a small flashlight on the floor that was covered in blood. Michael picked it up and used his cloth that he normally kept in his pocket to clean the blood off. Surprisingly, it still worked while the light beamed down the hallway. He walked towards the door, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Michael pushed the door open to the blackened room, looking for a clue for the identity of the Biologist. The stench of blood made him feel sick to his stomach but he took his mind off of the disgusting smell. He shined his flashlight into the room and only revealed dozens of mangled bodies shown in the light. Both Knox and animals alike were slaughtered mercilessly. The fox stepped into the room nervously. His heart was beating faster than he could ever imagine. He was about to vomit from all the bloodstains he’s seeing but he swallowed it, not savoring the taste. He breathed heavily in and out while his eyes trembled at the horrific slaughters. By the end of the room, he stopped and stared at the magic box and a fox was laying in it. Michael began to shake, knowing there’s another fox...maybe the fox was just passed out. He investigated to see if they’re any locks on it, noticing that there weren’t any. He twitched his ears in disturbance while noticing that the box could pull apart easily. However, when it pulled apart, Michael screamed in horror while witnessing this unholy sight of the poor stranger’s insides falling onto the floor. 

Michael slipped on the floor and backed away from the box, covering his agape mouth. Tears suddenly edged out of his eyes and streamed down his cheeks, staring into the gory sight longer than expected. His paws trembled while he could just imagine himself being in that box, being cut in half slowly. That fox...that poor fox stranger had to endure that suffering. And it’s too late for either him or Goat or anyone to save him. In fact, it’s too late for the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S force to save all those people from the Biologist. 

“Michael!” Michael heard Goat calling for him. However, he didn’t acknowledge the voice. 

Goat strode through the hallways and into the room where he found Michael staring at the bloody display. He sighed in relief to find his fox friend while lifting off his dark sunglasses so that he wouldn’t have to see more darkness than there already was in that room. “Hey, zorro. I heard you screaming. Is everything--?”

Goat paused himself when he saw his friend beginning to sob. He turned his head to look at what Michael was looking at. His eyes widened in shock when he saw another fox’s insides. He softly gazed at his friend, realizing why Michael was scared. Goat took his shades off of his head and gently offered it to Michael. Michael couldn’t focus off of that display, so Goat put the shades onto the fox so that the fox could see darkness and he wouldn’t have to keep staring at the dead fox’s bloody body. 

“G-Goat--”

“Shh, come on, let’s get out of here. You don’t need to see any more of this,” Goat whispered while helping his friend up on his feet and guiding his friend out of the room. At that moment, he didn’t care if Michael found any clues...his health was more important than finding the identity of the Biologist. 

Goat guided Michael out of the room and glanced around the dark hallway they were roaming around, trying to figure out where to go next. Michael snuggled up to Goat closely, not willing to leave by his side for another moment. Goat’s ears flicked when he heard a heavy breathing noise coming up behind them. Goat turned his head quickly to notice the shadow of the Biologist on the corner of the hallway way behind them. Luckily, he noticed the lockers and gently shoved both of him and Michael into one of the open lockers. He closed the door, which automatically locked them in. Michael sat down, his eyes still trembling from the horrific site he saw earlier. 

Goat stood on his hind legs and peeked through the lens of the small window of the locker to notice the Biologist striding through the hallway, passing by them without giving a second look. By the time his footsteps faded away, Goat sighed deeply in relief. Then, he heard Michael sniffling behind him. He turned his head and got back on all fours, with his forearm still bleeding. 

“Michael,” Goat called out softly, catching Michael’s attention. 

“It-It was horrible, Goat,” Michael babbled, tears streaming down on his cheeks. 

“I know, I know, I saw it,” Goat responded calmly as he scooched closer to the fox. 

“Those people died in there, Goat...They-They didn’t deserve this.”

“I know...I know.”

“We’re too late to save them, Goat...We’re--”

“Don’t beat yourself up for this,” Goat advised a bit sternly but gently. He immediately held the fox’s paws to comfort him. “You’re not the blame for those people’s death. He’s a mass murderer and we didn’t get this case until after all those people died. It’s not your fault.”

“Goat...this is my kind. The foxes that were slaughtered in there--”

“I know, I know, Michael. Believe me, I know how scared you are. Trust me.”

“It’s not just me, man. Do you ever look at a dead body and felt and imagined what they felt when they’re dying?” 

Goat frowned a bit and gazed down at the fox’s feet and the ground. “All they feel is pain when they’re dying, Michael.” He slowly lifted his gaze to look into the fox’s eyes. “Some are quicker than others...and some are slower...much slower. And usually, the slower deaths are the most painful to go through. There’s nothing we could have done to save those people from dying. But, if we capture the Biologist somehow and make our arrest, he won’t hurt people and animals like that ever again.” 

Michael’s lip quivered while noticing Goat’s bleeding wound. “Goat, you’re bleeding!” 

“Huh?” Goat glanced down at his wound and shook it off as if it’s nothing. “It’s just a scratch.”

“No, it’s not. Let me look at it.”

“No, it’s not necessary--.”

Michael instantly grabbed Goat’s injured forearm a little too fast. Goat clenched his teeth with a grunt from pain.

“Sorry,” Michael immediately apologized to Goat from grabbing his injured forearm too fast. The fox examined the wound carefully this time, not noticing that Goat was gazing at him softly. 

“What happened?” Michael asked while moving his eyes to meet Goat’s soft gaze. 

Goat sighed a bit. “The Biologist could’ve caught my forearm off if I hadn’t let go...I was trying to strangle him to knock him out so that I can arrest him...but, he got me.”

Michael frowned at this and his ears drooped down. “I-I’m so sorry. I-I shouldn’t have said that we have to continue this investigation...I just want to understand why...why me? Why am I the monster? What caused me to be the monster?” There’s a brief pause while Michael began to whimper. “I-I’m so sorry, Goat.”

**_Goat pondered for a moment to what he had to say next to comfort Michael but...he couldn’t think of anything. However, there’s something deep within him that he had to tell Michael. Something that he had to say before they go any further into this journey._ **

Goat exhaled slowly. “Atticus.”

Michael perked his ears and head up while wiping the tears away. “W-What?”

Goat smiled softly at Michael. “My full name is Atticus Goat. Someone has to know eventually.” 

Michael broadened his eyes. “Wait, is that why there’s an A in front of Goat in your driver’s license?” 

Goat nodded his head. “However, the records didn’t know the full name. I like to keep it that way.” 

“Why? I think it’s a cool name.” 

“Well, my parents called me by that name before they--” Goat cleared his throat, trying to hold in the urge to cry. 

Michael finally realized what Goat was saying. “Oh...right. I-I still think it’s a cool name.”

“My mom picked out that name for me, actually. She said I reminded her a lot of that character from a book she once read...someone who was a lawyer who fought for honor and justice among all people...someone who showed compassion and love towards others and...well, have some self-respect.” 

“Then, why did you go by Goat?”

Goat frowned at the question. “After...After my parents were dead...I’ve joined gangs and followed their horrible examples. They kill...I kill. They steal...I steal. Throughout the years of crime, I-I completely ditched the name because...I’m not who my mom named me after. I don’t deserve that name...so...I completely abandoned it. Of course, I kept the initial A. because it’s A Goat...but...I never let anybody called me by that name.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“As I said, someone’s got to know eventually,” Goat responded with a small soft smile. “I feel like I can tell you anything so...that’s my secret.”

“Ooh, okay...do you not want me to tell anyone?”

“That would be nice if you’re the only person that knew my full name.” 

“Oh. Okay.” Michael thought about their conversation for a moment. “Is it okay if...I call you Atticus?” 

Goat arched his brow. “Why?” 

“I thought it was cool...and I do think you do live up to that name.”

“Really? How so?”

“Well, for one, you do show compassion and love to others--even if it’s not most of the time. You have a lot of self-respect and you do fight for honor and justice. So, in a way, you are who your mother named after--and maybe more than that character. Besides, I like the name Atticus much better than Goat.”

Goat blushed lightly. “That surprisingly made me feel better.”

“Really? I-I didn’t want to mean about it. I just like the name.”

“You’re not mean...it’s a good compliment. Thank you.”

Michael smiled nervously. “Uh. No problem, man.”

Goat thought about what Michael asked for a moment. And then sighed a bit. “Alright, you can call me Atticus.”

“Really?” Michael squeaked, a bit surprised by Goat’s answer.

“I didn’t let people say that name often. The only people who ever said my name are my parents and now...you.”

“Aww, thanks, man. What about the others?”

“Um, it’s going to take some time for me to let others call me by that name. I mean, it’s not something I’m going to get used to right away. Let’s just take baby steps on that one.”

“Okay, Atticus.”

Goat chuckled at Michael. “You’re already using it.”

Both Michael and Goat took a moment to gently laugh at each other until someone peeked into the locker.

“Are you guys okay?” Vicky’s voice peered into the locker. Michael stood up on his feet while Goat stood on his hind legs with his brows furrowing.

“Hi, Vicky!” Michael responded with a friendly wave. 

“Hey, Michael, I heard a lot about you and want to say thank you for saving me the other day,” Vicky gratified while taking out a hairpin to lockpick the locker.

“Aww, you’re welcome,” Michael uttered with a bright smile.

“I do have a question, Michael,” Vicky stated while turning the pin to lockpick the lock. “Do you think I’m a damsel in distress when you’re trying to save me?” 

Michael arched a brow, not getting why she would ask the question which Goat perfectly understood the reason why. “Uh...no.”

The door prompted open, revealing to be Vicky, with a teasing smirk on her face but it’s mostly at Goat. 

“That’s good. Your friend, Goat, certainly seemed to think so,” Vicky responded with a discreet wink at Goat. 

Goat twitched his brow with absolute anger that was just boiling inside of him. 

Michael glanced at him with a bit of a shocked look on his face. “You literally thought that, man?”

“Until she decided to kick some butt in front of me,” Goat commented with a groan. 

“Oh yeah, that’s right before you about to get sliced in half by the Biologist. I think we already know who the helpless one is.” Vicky smiled and walked away from Goat and Michael. 

Goat held in every urge to strangle her at that moment but he knew he couldn’t...not in front of Michael, E.B, Jean, and Mr. Jenkins. He had to do it in secret when it’s just the two of them. 

As they walked out of the locker, they noticed E.B calming down Mr. Jenkins while Jean took out a scoreboard between Goat and Vicky. 

“You guys have an equal point so far,” Jean informed while marking up a point on Vicky’s side. 

“Shut it, Jean,” Goat growled lowly. 

“Come on, guys, we got to find a way out,” E.B urged her group.

“She’s right. I think I know a way out,” Vicky stated as she was about to take off in the hallway. “Follow me!”

“Heck yeah! She knew a way out!” Michael celebrated as he and Mr. Jenkins followed Vicky while carrying E.B and Jean with them. Goat sighed irritably and followed them into the hallway.

~.~ 

The fire crackling was all Guy heard. He had his eyes closed and his body resting on the red couch in someone’s house. 

“Guy...wakey, wakey,” He heard a familiar voice immaturely trying to wake Guy up. He felt something tingling underneath his nose, which caused him to sneeze.

“Ha! The tail trick is working,” the same voice yelled in victory while Guy squeezed his eyes shut for a little longer. 

“Just wake him up,” Another voice, a calming smooth voice, simply demanded. 

A puff of fur tickled Guy’s nose as he groaned irritably. He fluttered his eyes open to notice Cat leaning over with a victorious smile planted on his face. 

“Yes! You are awake! Finally!” Cat shouted in victory. 

Guy looked around the strange house with his brow arched up. “Uh...where-where are we?”

“You’re in...someone else’s house.” Grinch appeared besides Cat in the Hat. 

Guy noticed the bricked up fireplace that had the fire burning the wood and warming his body. 

“Someone else’s house?” Guy questioned, still confused.

“Yeah, We don’t know who he is...but the Lorax does...for some reason,” The Grinch stated awkwardly while clearing his throat. “Are you doing okay? No nightmares or hallucinations?”

“Um...I-I don’t know,” Guy responded, recovering his head. “I felt like I’ve been in the dark for too long. At first, I--wait, where’s Sam?! There’s something that I got to tell him--!”

“Whoa, calm down. Sam should be--” Grinch glanced behind him but realized that both Sam and Gabriella were gone. “Uh...Gabriella is gone too.”

“Oh no, Thanos better not snap his fingers,” Cat groaned a bit.

“What does this have to do with Thanos? And who the heck is Thanos?” Grinch replied, confused in his tone.

Cat gave a deadpanned stare at Grinch. “Apparently, you’re never a big fan of Marvel.”

“Guys, can we please focus on finding Sam and Gabriella?” Guy requested while groaning a bit irritably. 

“We’re right here,” Gabriella spoke up as both she and Sam entered the room from the small library by the living room. 

Grinch raised a brow at both of them. “Uh, why are you guys at the library?” 

“We’re trying to study more into that book,” Sam explained to the group.

“What book?” Guy probed, flicking a glance back and forth between Sam and Gabriella. 

“The forbidden book that I told you about in my library,” Cat answered with his arms crossed. “Back in my fantasy island.”

“Oh...that book. W-What’s so important about it?” Guy asked, stuttering.

Grinch gestured Guy to sit up so that he could sit next to him on the couch. Guy sat up on the couch and the Grinch sat next to him, exhaling slowly. 

“Okay, Guy. That ‘forbidden’ book is somehow...connected to you,” Grinch answered, careful with his words with such precision.

Guy nodded his head anxiously. “Uh-huh.”

“Well, apparently, there are two chemicals inside of you...not just one. There are the red chemical and the golden chemical inside of you. They are both fighting for control over your body, causing headaches, hallucinations--”

“Recurring nightmares,” Cat added to the list. 

“All of those recent experiences,” Grinch finished his explanation while flicking a small stern glare at Cat for interrupting him. 

“Then...how can we stop those chemicals from fighting each other? Do we take one of them out?” Guy questioned both the Grinch and Cat.

“That can kill you, Guy,” Cat informed. 

“The red chemical is the cult’s preference,” Sam added the information.

Karlos popped out of his fishbowl, which had been sitting on the coffee table beside the red couch. “Wait, a cult?”

“Yeah, catch up, Marlin,” Cat uttered abrasively. 

“Apparently, this cult worships the whispers...whatever the whispers are,” Grinch responded with a slight groan. 

“Why do they want the red chemical?” Guy inquired both Sam and Gabriella.

Gabriella inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Well, Guy, the red chemical is said to help them make the world ‘a better place’. There were dead people in that book, Guy...there were a lot of dead people.”

“Huh, no wonder they said something about ‘persuasion’,” Cat brought up his encounter with the priest. 

Sam tilted his head up in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“They said that they wanted Guy to join their cult...but for some reason, they said that Guy needed a little persuasion. What kind of persuasion? I-I can make an assumption but I might be wrong,” Cat replied. 

“What assumption?” Guy probed further, trying to figure out what’s going on.

“Well, since you’re being hunted along with Sam...I think they are going to use the people you love and--hmm...kill them in front of you,” Cat explained carefully. 

“I didn’t think you would assume that,” Grinch answered with a brow raised. 

Cat frowned and glanced at Grinch. “Well, again, it’s just an assumption...I-I made it since...since...since it happened to me.” His ears drooped down and his gaze was lowered on the floor after he said this.

“What?” Gabriella inquired while scooching closer to her father figure.

“What do you mean, Cat?” Sam asked his question. 

Cat looked at the group, who’s gazing at him with interest in his story. He exhaled slowly. “Well...I’ve encountered those cultists before...and it’s not a pretty story to tell.”

“Please, tell us,” Grinch remarked softly. 

Cat sighed and took a moment to gather himself before bursting into tears while taking off his hat. “Well, it started out with a burglary gone wrong.”

_ Flashback: Five Years Ago _

_ I, apparently, went to the wrong town to do this crime. Thing One and Thing Two helped me with the burglary. But...we were caught. And when we’re caught...they-they just took my hat away. _

Chains were tied around Cat’s wrists as the buff men guided him down the dark hallway.

“Fellas, let’s talk about this,” Cat ignited the conversation with a light-hearted laugh, feeling unease of being without his hat. “I was just looking around the house because I thought it was a museum...I mean, your houses are huge like museums.”

“Shut it, Cat,” One of the buff men growled at him. 

Cat twitched his ears back with fear in his eyes. 

_ Do you know what’s funny? I didn’t even realize that these people were the cultists. No wonder they were glaring at me and my children like we weren’t supposed to exist. And yes, both Thing One and Thing Two are my adopted children. However, they weren’t with me when those men were guiding me into this...dark and cold room. And I figured out why. _

As the guards guided Cat into the dark room, the light switched on and there were two small child-like people strapped onto the metal tables behind the glass in front of him, separate from each other. They had red jumpsuits on with the circle in the center of their chests that labeled one as “Thing One” and the other as “Thing Two”. Cat’s heart dropped when he saw Thing One and Thing Two strapped onto the metal table with their blue hair frizzed up.

“Oh no, don’t separate them! Let them go!” Cat ordered the guards but they left him in that room, locking the door behind him. He shivered underneath his black fur and gazed softly at his sons. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you guys out of here!”

“Hurry, Dad!” Thing One shouted, his voice petrified.

Thing Two nodded his head rapidly in agreement. “Daddy, I’m scared!”

“Don’t be scared! I’ll get you boys out of here!” Cat noticed that there were two levers in front of him, although he had no idea what they were for. He glanced up above his children and noticed three saws above his sons. It automatically turned and lowered slowly towards Thing One and Thing Two, threatening their lives with them sobbing and struggling out of their bonds. 

“Choose, Cat.” A priest appeared out of nowhere in between Thing One and Thing Two.

“What the--?” Cat gasped as he pounded on the glass. “Let them go!”

“You should’ve thought twice before committing a crime,” The priest growled while the cursed familiar symbol glimmered in the light on his necklace. 

Cat had his eyes widened. “Wait! If you want to kill me, then kill me! But don’t kill them! These Things do not and will not bite! They just want to have fun with their dad! Let them go!” 

“Oh...so they’re your children? Well, in that case, make your choice, Cat.” 

“What? No!”

“One of your children will go free and the other will die. But you must make a choice.”

“This is sick!” 

“Pull one of the levers of which one you will save. The saws will kill the other one.”

“I-I can’t make this choice...I-I love them both the same,” Cat sputtered, tears streaming down his cheeks. 

“A father always has a favorite between his children...in this case, which one?” 

Cat’s heart began to ache to stare at both of his adopted children. 

_ I-I had to make a choice. If it weren’t for the fact that they were my children, it could’ve come easy to choose...but, as a father, I had the hardest time to choose...then, I came up with a simple answer. _

Cat glanced between both levers and took his decision upon himself. He pulled both of the levers to save both of his children. He held them and noticed that the saws stopped coming towards his children. 

There’s a brief pause as Cat smiled in relief at both of his children as they smiled back at him. When he shifted his glare at the priest, the priest cornered a smirk for some specific reason. 

Thing One screeched in pain instantly after the pause, blood dripping out of his mouth, which scared both Cat and Thing Two. Thing One’s small body shook on the metal table as something cut through his chest. It turned out to be another saw but it’s-it’s underneath the table. Cat covered his agape mouth with teary eyes. He immediately whipped a glance at Thing Two, who’s also screaming out in pain.

“DADDY! DADDY! WHAT’S GOING ON?!?” Thing Two cried out as his body was shaking the same way his twin dead brother did.

Cat strode up to the glass and pounded on it. “NO! NO, STOP IT!!! STOP HURTING MY CHILDREN!!”

From behind the invincible glass, Cat witnessed his other son’s chest being cut through, blood splattering everywhere.

_ I-I never realize that the simple answer could lead to a heavy consequence. I never forgot about it. What they did to my children...I could never-- _

Cat began to sob non-stop as he realized his children were dead...there’s no way to revive them. He immediately ran to the door, scarred from what he witnessed. He bolted through the door without struggle and sprinted down the hallway. 

“After him!” He heard the priest’s voice echoing down the hallway. Cat didn’t hesitate to keep running. By the time the robots jumped out in front of him, Cat busted into the library next to him without being spotted. He heard them hovering by the library without second-guessing where he was. 

By the time the noises and the commotion faded, Cat began to weep while wrapping his arms around his knees and buried his head into his thighs. He wept silently, trying not to alarm the enemies nearby with his sobbing. His heart shattered into a million pieces when he thought about how Thing One and Thing Two died. How innocent they were before their death. 

_ This is all my fault...I-I shouldn’t have put them through this. _

Cat lifted his head up to look around the library with his heart clutched. He slowly stood up on his feet, wiping the tears away. He glanced around the library and saw his hat lying on the table beside him. 

“There you are.” Cat chuckled sadly and put his hat on his head. He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and wiped the remaining tears from his face with his gloved hands. He exhaled deeply, opening his eyes up automatically. 

Cat’s mood changed like a switch when he put his hat back on. He took a deep breath and noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. He saw the container with the purple liquid with a mischievous smile.

_ Present: Five Years Later _

Cat slowly put his hat back on while wiping the remaining tears away from telling his story and then plastered a sympathetic smile.

“Well, it was my fault...and I won’t make the same foolish mistake again,” Cat responded with a light sigh that a weight had finally been lifted off of his chests. “So, any questions?!” 

Everyone was silent for a moment, shocked that Cat’s mood switched entirely.

“I have one question...um, when you put on that hat, does that change your whole mood?” Grinch observed while pointing casually at the striped hat on top of Cat’s head. 

Cat stared at him awkwardly with a plastic grin. “What made you think that?”

Grinch silenced himself as he jotted some notes on his small notebook. “Nevermind.”

Guy thought about the heartbreaking story Cat had told to everyone. It instantly reminded him of Michellee and E.B, along with Sam. He slowly took out his phone from his fur pocket that he had been keeping the whole trip and noticed that he missed a call from Michellee. 

“Michellee!” Guy gasped, not sure why or how he missed a call from her. He bolted outside to talk privately with her. But when he went outside, he saw all the decay around him and the smog in the air. Sam followed Guy outside and glanced around their surroundings.

“Di-Did the bombs--?”

“No, this happened a long time ago,” Sam explained to Guy. 

Guy went out of the porch and strode through the decay Truffala Forest and got better reception on a small hill nearby the house that he woke up in. He flipped his phone up and dialed Michellee’s number. He quickly put the phone up against his ear and heard it ring. He sat on the hill, waiting anxiously as Sam approached him from behind. 

“Uh, Guy,” Sam called gently.

“Not now, Sam,” Guy responded instantly, not sure of what Sam was about to say but he didn’t think it’s important yet. The phone finally stopped ringing.

“Hello, you’ve reached Michellee. If I missed your call, that means that I’m at work. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you,” Michellee’s voicemail spoke up in the phone. 

Guy groaned a bit. “Come on, honey.” 

After the beep, Guy inhaled quickly and then exhaled. “Hey, honey, this is Guy. I’m so sorry that I missed your call. Please, please, call me back as soon as you can. I love you so much and I miss you. Bye.”

Guy closed his phone with a heavy sigh. He took a moment to ponder what’s going on. 

Sam raised his finger for permission to speak. 

“Yes, Sam?” Guy inquired, knowing Sam had something to say.

“Michellee didn’t use her phone when she called me,” Sam informed plainly. 

“What do you mean? Why did she call you?” 

“You missed her call. She, um, called from McWinkle’s phone.”

“From whose phone?!”

~.~ 

McWinkle, Michellee, and Chad sat in the car in complete silence, trying to process what was said to them while McWinkle was still driving the car through the forest in the afternoon. 

“So, are we all going ignore the fact that someone said that Guy is going to become a monstrous beast?” Michellee questioned, talking to McWinkle mostly.

“Are we just going to ignore the fact that Guy has flipping superpowers?!” Chad screeched at the end of his sentence. 

McWinkle slowly turned his body slightly to flick a glance at Chad. “We’ve known this for a long time, Chad. Catch up.” 

“Oh...okay,” Chad uttered, immediately discouraged from what he said. 

“Oh man, I hope Guy is going to be okay,” Michellee muttered mostly to herself.

“I think Cat is just being dramatic,” McWinkle added with a shrug. 

Chad pondered for a moment about something else. “What do they mean that there are two chemicals in Guy?”

“It just means exactly what it means, Chad--”

“I know that but is one of them evil and the other one is good? Are they both evil? Are they both good? There have to be two sides to having superpowers. I mean, there’s always two sides to every superpower that one has. The question is...will they accept both or keep them separate?” Chad explained while adjusting his glasses to fit a bit better on his nose. 

“Where did you learn about having powers?” McWinkle arched a brow and became interested in what Chad was talking about.

“I read comics, sir,” Chad answered with a smirk.

McWinkle chuckled lightly. “Looks like we got a nerd in here.”

“A nerd and a geek, sir. Loud and proud,” Chad admitted with a small smile. 

Michellee pondered up a question for a moment. “So, what if those two chemicals clash...? Does that normally happen in the comic books you read?”

“Oh yeah, I mean...I guess it really depends on how you use your powers. If Guy had the intention of not hurting anyone, then his powers have more of the good side but...if someone evil accidentally or purposefully gave an evil power then--”

As Chad trailed off in explaining about the powers to Michellee, McWinkle’s phone buzzed in his fur pocket. He took his phone out of his pocket and noticed a number that was calling him. He furrowed his brow and then opened up his phone, putting it up against his ear. 

“Hello?” McWinkle uttered into the phone. A familiar voice began to freak out as McWinkle cleared his throat. “Whoa, slow down. Calm down, Guy.” 

Michellee and Chad whipped their heads to look at McWinkle and stopped talking. 

McWinkle nodded his head. “Yes, she’s safe. She’s here with me right now. Alright.” McWinkle handed Michellee the phone. “It’s for you.”

Michellee grabbed the phone without hesitation. “Hello, honey?”

“Michellee!” Guy’s voice spoke in utter excitement from the other end of the line. “What happened to your phone?”

“I-I threw it out.”

“Why?”

Michellee exhaled deeply. “Honey...we’re being hunted.”

“What?! Not you too!”

“Yeah.”

“You didn’t do anything. Where are you guys at?” 

Michellee glanced at McWinkle, who shook his head to tell her not to tell Guy. 

“Honey, I’m sorry but I can’t tell you that...we’re...we’re--”

“We’re what, honey?”

“Someone might be listening to this conversation...I can’t tell you where we’re going...for the sake of safety.”

“Oh...okay...is E.B doing okay?”

“She’s been kidnapped.”

“What?!” 

“Don’t worry, we’re going to find her right now.” 

“Let me help you--!”

“No! Stay with the group where you’re safe. Please.”

Chad peeked over Michellee’s shoulder. “Can I talk to him?”

Michellee shook her head while mouthing, “Not yet.”

“Wait, hold on...why would you say that?” Guy questioned, not understanding what’s going on. 

“Look, honey...Sam told us everything about what’s going on with you guys. About the trip and how you guys are being hunted. About your powers and recurring nightmares...everything. I-I just want you to be safe.”

“I want you to be safe too, honey,” Guy uttered from the other end of the phone.

“I know...and we are--”

As Michellee trailed off about her situation to Guy, Chad turned his head to notice headlights shining bright behind them. He leaned forward towards McWinkle. 

“Uh, McWinkle, I think we’re being followed,” Chad whispered to McWinkle.

McWinkle adjusted his rearview mirror to see the shining headlights gleaming into the truck. He knew that they were following closely behind him while staring ahead of the road. The headlights swerved beside McWinkle’s truck and rolled up to match the same speed as McWinkle was going. McWinkle noticed the buff men, the same looking buff men who had been hunting them, glaring at them. 

“Chad, duck your head,” McWinkle instructed sternly without looking away from them. 

Chad ducked his head quickly and covered it quickly. 

“Michellee, you might want to end your call with Guy,” McWinkle uttered.

Michellee stopped talking for a second and glanced over to where McWinkle was looking at. Her eyes widened when she noticed the people hunting them were glaring at them while one of the buff men were talking in their walkie-talkie. 

Michellee slowly turned back to her phone, her breath shaky. “G-Guy...I’m going to have to call you back.”

“Uh, honey, what’s going on?” Guy asked from the other end of the phone line.

McWinkle shifted his glance over at Michellee, hearing their conversation clearly. “Nothing to worry about, Guy--”

“MCWINKLE!” 

McWinkle immediately slammed on his brakes as the truck screeched to a stop. The other truck attempted to hit them from the side but the attempt failed since they were tossed over on the small ditch on the side of the road. The three of them had their eyes enlarged while staring at the scene, the truck completely stopped. 

“Michellee! McWinkle! Are you guys okay?!” Guy shouted from the other end of the line. 

Michellee put the phone back against her ear. “Guy...we might have to call you back.”

“Wait, what?!”

Chad perked his head up with a shout. “Hey, Guy! Can’t talk right now!!” 

“Chad!” Michellee scolded a bit for talking randomly.

“CHAD?!” Guy recognized the name. 

“It’s a long story, honey! We’re going to be fine--”

Something crashed into the rear end of the truck they’re in, shoving the truck forward and jerked the group back in their seats, causing Michellee to drop the phone by accident and Chad to scream. 

McWinkle grunted and growled to himself when he noticed another truck hitting them. “Agh, Fudge.” He then shifted the gear to drive and stepped on the gas pedal harshly to drive away from the other truck behind them. 

“Are you guys okay?! What’s happening?!” Guy’s voice shouted in full panic. “Where are you guys?! I’ll come find you!” 

Chad heard the voice from the phone and noticed it on the floor next to him that Michellee accidentally dropped. 

“Hello?! Hello?! Michellee?! Chad?! McWinkle?!” Guy’s voice became louder and fearful. 

Chad picked up the phone and put it up against his ear. “Hey, pal. Uh...we’re fine. We just got hit from the rear-end. It’s just a minor accident.”

The bullets from the machine gun on top of the truck behind them blasted through the back window, scaring the three of them.

“You got to be kidding me!” McWinkle barked as he took a glimpse at the other path ahead of them that would lead them to the stone drawbridge across the narrow river. He drew his bushy brows in determination. “Hold on!” 

McWinkle steered the truck onto the other path leading to the drawbridge ahead. The vehicle followed after while firing bullets at them. 

“That doesn’t sound like a minor accident, Chad!” Guy shouted from the other end of the phone. 

McWinkle heard Guy’s yell and immediately turned his head to look at Chad. “Chad, hang up! Now!” 

Chad chattered his teeth nervously. “Can’t explain! Got to go! Bye!”

“CHAD!!!! WAIT--!!” 

Chad closed the lid of the phone to hang up before Guy could say anything further.

~.~ 

“CHAD!” Guy shouted, his voice echoing through the decay Truffala Tree forest. His grip on the phone trembled violently while he stood idly on the hill. 

Sam stood beside his briefcase buddy while noticing the horror look on Guy’s face. “Is everything okay--?”

“No!” Guy blurted out, his hand trembling. “No! I don’t know what’s going on! Or why there are two chemicals inside of me! Or why Michelle, McWinkle, and Chad were being hunted! Or what those people want from me! I-I-I just...don’t know what’s going on...with me.” 

Guy’s voice broke when he uttered his last sentence. He plumped himself down on the hill, with tears streaming down on his cheeks. Sam sat beside his friend and glanced at the smog air around them. 

Guy closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. “I’m sorry, Sam.”

Sam perked his head up and gazed at Guy to listen to him.

“I-I want to go on this trip because...I thought that--I thought that the nightmares would be clearer. I thought that I would understand what’s going on. Maybe a cry of help from somebody or maybe a calling to something greater than where we are. But...those people.” Guy paused for a brief moment, opening his eyes softly to stare ahead of him. 

“I think I know why they want me. I think I know why they want me to join their ‘cult’. They want me to help them kill people...and that’s something that I’m not willing to do. But, they kept telling me that everything will be restored after people died...after everyone died but--I’m still not willing to do it. I guess that’s why I’ve been having these recurring nightmares. Or it’s not even the nightmares and the hallucinations. When you guys said that there were two chemicals inside of me, I guess I knew deep down that there’s this other me...and that other me...I-I don’t know.”

Sam scooched closer, still listening to his friend. “Do you think there’s an evil side of you?”

Guy flicked a brief glance at Sam. “Is there an evil side of me?” 

Sam shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know...I wish I knew.” 

Guy gazed down on the ground, pondering deeply. “Maybe there is...and I just didn’t know it.” 

Sam placed his hand on Guy’s to catch his friend’s attention while wearing a warm smile. “Whether you do or you don’t have an evil side, I’ll always be there for you.”

“But...if I hurt you--”

“Guy, we’re briefcase buddies. And we’ll always be briefcase buddies...right?” Sam asked innocently, not realizing that he triggered a memory in Guy’s mind.

Guy remembered that nightmare he had the other day while they were hiding out in Cat’s fantasy island. The one where he saw his other self killing his family right in front of him. Sam pleaded his other self to stop hurting them...but he wouldn’t listen.

Thinking back on that dream gave Guy chills in his spine. He glanced over at Sam and picked him up. He cradled Sam into a hug as if he’s holding a baby. 

Sam snuggled up against Guy’s chest with his warm smile widened. “I take that as a yes?”

“Always,” Guy uttered without tearing up as he held Sam closed to his chest like he’s going to lose him tomorrow. And the scary thing was, he had no idea what tomorrow will bring.

~.~ 

Meanwhile, McWinkle, Michellee, and Chad were in hot pursuit by the vehicle behind them. The bullets made a rippling sound through the truck, scaring Chad mostly. 

“Hang on!” McWinkle shouted as the truck zoomed towards the stone drawbridge ahead of them. An arm slowly descended down to block off the drawbridge since it’s going to open up soon. However, McWinkle didn’t care. 

Michellee had her eyes widened while gripping on the bar above the passenger window. “McWinkle--”

“I’m well aware of what’s happening in front of me. Just hang on!” 

Chad perked his head up and witnessed the vehicle they’re in busted through the lever of the drawbridge. As the bridge slowly rose, the truck hopped over the small gap that was about to open. However, for the vehicle behind them, they tried to jump the drawbridge but crashed into the river instead. McWinkle rammed through the lever on the other side of the drawbridge, breaking it instantly. 

Michellee took a glimpse behind her and sighed in relief. “Whew, we lost them.”

“W-We did?” Chad stuttered and glanced over his shoulder to notice the drawbridge open with the cargo ship passing through. He let out a shaky breath. “We...We actually lost them.”

When the group shifted their focus back ahead of the road, they immediately saw the three cloaked figures with their rifles pointed at them. 

McWinkle’s eyes grew large when he saw the rifles. “Duck your heads!” 

Michellee and Chad instantly obeyed McWinkle’s command as McWinkle swerved the truck into the forest with the bullets crashing onto the side. As McWinkle was driving through the forest and dodging every tree standing in his way, they soon realized that they were heading for the cliff up ahead.

Michellee gasped. “McWinkle--!”

“I see it!” McWinkle shouted back before slamming his feet onto the brakes of the truck. The truck screeched while the tires dragged on the grass, leaving a dirt trail behind. 

“It’s not going to stop in time!” Chad pointed at the cliff ahead of them. The brakes made a high-pitched eerie sound and stopped working, letting the truck zoomed towards the cliff. 

“Oh no!” McWinkle gasped, noticing that the brakes weren’t working. 

“What?!” Michellee shouted her question with panic. 

McWinkle used his shoulder to bust through the driver’s door. The door flew open and off its hinges on the car. He quickly held out his arm for Michellee and Chad to grab. “Quick! Grab on!” 

Without hesitation, Michellee wrapped her small thin arm around McWinkle’s muscular one while grabbing Chad by the collar of his white shirt and black tie. McWinkle, Michellee, and Chad dove out of the car and tumbled onto the grass as the truck zoomed off the cliff and plummeted into the jungle far below from where they were. They sat up from the grass while having dirt sprinkled all over their clothes and furs. Chad’s glasses were lopsided from tumbling onto the ground with a crack on its left side. Despite the glasses being broken, he readjusted to his glasses in its proper place. McWinkle’s black hat covered half of his face while Michellee’s brown frizzy hair poofed up to reveal her long messy poofy brown hair and her purple beanie floating in the air. It slowly landed on McWinkle’s thigh, which caught his attention. Both he and Chad whipped their gaze over at Michellee with long messy hair. She stared out into the cliff for a brief moment before glancing over at the guys. 

McWinkle picked up her purple beanie and handed it to her slowly. “I believe this is yours.” 

Michellee nodded her head slightly and gently took it out of McWinkle’s big hand. She stuffed almost all of her messy hair back in her beanie until it showed off her short brown hair. She smiled nervously while her cheeks lit up in embarrassment of her messy hair. 

Chad heard shuffling feet behind them while his eyes became enlarged with horror. “Guys! They’re coming!”

McWinkle knew he had a short amount of time to think up of a plan. When he glanced at the trees with huge fold-up leaves beside them, an idea popped into his brain instantly. 

~.~ 

Three men with rifles strapped onto their backs stormed through the forest and approached the cliff where the dirt trail led them. Two more men followed behind them along with a priest. The priest walked on the edge of the cliff and stared down at the jungle far below them. 

“They must have driven off the cliff. Dumb fools,” The priest predicted as he turned to the men. “They are dead. We must report this to  **_him._ ** ” 

“What if they survived, sir?” One of the men with a rifle questioned the priest. 

“How could they have survived a fall like that? Unless they have powers like the powerful Outsider, they wouldn’t have survived that fall,” The priest responded while walking passed the men. 

“Father...can I ask you a question?” the other man probed the priest.

“I don’t know...can you?” the priest stated calmly. 

The man rolled his eyes at himself. “May I ask you a question?”

“Of course, child.”

“Why are we hunting them? What was the point?” The man asked with curiosity in his tone. 

The priest sighed deeply. “Do you know what we do when facing a powerful entity who refused to join our cause?”

“Always look for the weakness.”

“That’s right,” The priest responded with a simple smile formed on his face. “You see, this powerful Outsider refused to join us...so...we looked for his weakness. Do any of you know what his weakness is?”

The other man grinned evilly. “It’s his family and friends, sir.”

“That’s right. For every time he refused to join us and denied the powers that Jeckles gave him, his family and friends will be slaughtered, whether it’d be by his own hands or by ours. Look what happened to Stovepipe because he refused...he refused to abide by us so we bombed his precious Stovepipe Junction. All of his family is dead because of him,” The priest explained with a psychotic smirk. “Now, his friends and girlfriend are dead. So...the next step is to hunt down his little animal friends on top of finding that halfling and that stupid girl agent. Let’s head out.”

The men headed away from the cliff, unknowingly passing by trees with rolled-up leaves on the branches. The big rolled-up leaf by the ground unrolled itself and McWinkle slid out of it while carrying Michellee and Chad in his arms. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he let go of both Michellee and Chad. 

McWinkle readjusted his hat that was lopsided for a second. “Well, now we know why they’re after us.”

“What makes them think that Guy will join in their cult?” Michellee growled lowly but not intentionally at anyone.

McWinkle shrugged his shoulders. “I guess with his powers...they can use it to their advantage.”

“Stovepipe is...bombed?” Chad uttered sadly, his voice sounded broken. 

McWinkle and Michellee turned to notice Chad with tears edging out of his eyes. 

“M-My family is in Stovepipe...my parents...my aunts and uncles...my cousins...my siblings.” Chad paused for a moment while tears streamed down on his cheeks. “M-My wife, who’s pregnant with my first child. Everyone who I knew in Stovepipe was all there...please, McWinkle--Michellee, please tell me that it isn’t true. Please.” Chad’s tears gushed out of his eyes and flooded in his glasses. He took them off and used his cloth that he normally kept in his pocket to wipe the drops off of his glasses. But he still kept his stare up at Michellee and McWinkle, which were blurred colors in his vision. 

Michellee gazed at him softly and sadly as Chad continued, “I-I was going to take a week or two off from running the hotel just to meet my baby...I-I was going to go visit my family in Stovepipe. I-I--I--”

Chad’s sentence was interrupted abruptly by his own sobbing. He couldn’t put his own glasses back on with his back hunched over while continuing to cry. 

“Ju-Just please...tell me that it isn’t true,” Chad whimpered, glancing back up at Michellee and McWinkle. “Jus-Just tell me that those men were-were just lying. Jus-Just tell me--.”

Michellee went up to him and hugged Chad to comfort him. Chad gripped around her tightly, choking on his sobs. Michellee rubbed his back to let him know that she’s here.

McWinkle watched them with sympathy shown on his face. “I-I’m sorry, Chad.”

Chad tried to stop his sobbing but thinking about his family just made him feel worst. “We-We’re planning on naming her...Grace.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” Michellee uttered as she broke away from Chad to look into his tearful eyes.

Chad wiped the continuing tears away with his sleeves from his black suit while trying to edge out a tearful smile. “It is. My wife picked it out for her. She...she was supposed to have the baby this month...but...when those men came and almost killed me, I thought I wasn’t going to see her or the rest of my family. It’s a miracle that McWinkle came and saved my life. It’s unexpected for me but I was happy inside because I-I thought that I was going to see my baby girl earlier than expected.” 

Chad’s lip trembled while breathing heavily to try to talk without tearing up. “I-I guess either way...I’m never going to see my baby girl or my family again.” 

McWinkle frowned when Chad said that. He gazed around the open forest and figured out what to do next. 

“I knew someone who might live nearby. Maybe we could take shelter there,” McWinkle pointed out softly.

Chad took a moment to regroup himself despite feeling like falling onto the ground from where he stood and let out an outcry to stay where he was and let both Michellee and McWinkle go without him. “That-that sounds like a good idea.”

“Let’s go,” Michellee urged gently while looking up to McWinkle to lead the way.

“Come on,” McWinkle uttered and led both her and Chad through the forest to look for shelter.

~.~ 

“Are you sure that this is the way out?” Michael asked Vicky with curiosity taking over his tone while following her through the cafeteria with the big windows that overlooked the Jungle of Nool in the early evening. 

Vicky nodded her head in assurance. “Yeah. It should be this way.” She pointed at the kitchen that had the backdoor inside. 

“Dang, you sure know which way you’re going,” Michael replied with a bright smile.

“It’s called being street smart.”

Michael chuckled lightly. 

Atticus Goat gruffed a bit while shooting a deadly glare at Vicky. E.B rode on Mr. Jenkins’s back with a curious gaze ahead of her. Jean sat on top of the little girl’s head while noticing Goat’s glare at the vixen. Jean climbed down from E.B’s head and hopped on top of Goat’s head.

“Um...am I missing something between you and Vicky?” Jean whispered to his friend. 

“Huh? What do you mean? You’re the one who kept the stupid scoreboard between us,” Goat responded defensively in a quiet voice. 

“That’s because of the roasts. But--is there--?” Jean stopped himself mid-sentence and noticed the way Goat was staring at Michael and Vicky while they were having a fun conversation between them. The mouse broadened his eyes in realization. “Ooh, I think I know what’s going on here.”

“No, you don’t know what’s going on,” Goat growled lowly. 

Jean smirked. “Yes, I do, mon ami. Hey, I can still keep it a secret for you--”

“Jean, if you’re implying what I think you’re implying, it’s not what you think.”

“Come on, it’s obvious...you care about him, don’t you?”

Goat stopped in the middle of the cafeteria, letting Mr. Jenkins walked ahead of him. “He’s my friend--”

“You don’t treat all your friends as nicely as you treated Michael.”

“Michael is just nice to me so I’m nice to him back.”

Jean furrowed his brow. “Really? Last time I checked, some people are nice and care about you but...sometimes you don’t give that care back in return. However, with Michael...it’s something different. Why is that?”

“I don’t know, okay!” Goat snarled at Jean, his voice echoing in the cafeteria, catching everyone’s attention. 

Goat groaned to himself irritably.

“Is everything okay?” Michael asked with concern in his voice. 

Goat nodded his head hesitantly with a small embarrassed blush. “Yes, everything is fine--”

Someone immediately charged through the cafeteria and kicked Goat, sending him flying into the glass and creating a crack in the glass. Jean tumbled away from Goat, recovering his head. Vicky took out her pistol and pointed it at the Biologist, who had his sawblade ready. 

“Guys! Get out of here!” Vicky ordered loudly while pulling the trigger. The bullets flew towards the mask of the Biologist but it didn’t break through. 

The Biologist breathed heavily while running his saw and swiped it at Vicky. Michael tackled her out of the way and tumbled on the cold tile floor. 

Before the Biologist could attack them again, Goat hopped onto the maniac’s back. 

“Get away from them!” Goat barked as he attempted to use his front leg to choke the maniac. 

The Biologist wiggled his short body and managed to throw Goat off. Goat crashed onto the floor, landing on his injured foreleg first.

Goat groaned in pain as he glanced up at the Biologist. 

“NO!!!” Michael screamed and tackled the Biologist away from Goat. Michael and the Biologist rolled over each other on the floor. Finally, the Biologist was on top of him with his claw clenched at Michael’s throat, choking him. 

“Michael, no!” Goat yelled as he attempted to get up. 

The Biologist raised his sawblade with it powered on. Michael gazed into the three green scopes of the Biologist, ready to go through the pain of his death. However, the Biologist froze, not moving his saw towards the fox. 

Goat got up but noticed something off about the Biologist. He’s not killing Michael right away as he did with the other victims. 

Vicky froze too as she whipped her gaze at Mr. Jenkins, who backed away from the Biologist with E.B gripping tightly around his long thin neck. 

Jean watched intensely, his brow raised at the situation arising.

“M-MiChAeL?” The Biologist uttered the fox’s name in a soft glitchy voice. 

Michael had his eyes widened while noticing that the saw blade was turned off. “D-Do I know you?”

The Biologist loosened his grip around the fox’s neck. “I-I tHoUgHt YoU wErE  **_dEaD_ ** .” 

Michael had his eyes bulged out in shock. “Dead?”

Before the Biologist could speak further, Vicky took the golden moment to jump on his back and pulled him back away from Michael. 

“Wait!” Michael shouted but Goat bolted over to the fox and took him by the arm, despite flicking a withering glare at Vicky for attacking at the wrong time. 

“Come on, Michael! We got to go!” Goat yelled as he helped Michael up on his feet. Jean immediately scurried up on the chickeraffe and climbed on E.B’s shoulder. 

The Biologist threw Vicky away from him with his claw, causing her to slide on the tile floor. She bolted back to her group quickly before the Biologist could chase after them. 

The group ran into the kitchen as Vicky slammed the door behind her and used to block the Biologist temporarily. 

“Why did you attack him?! He’s about to tell me what’s going on!” Michael shouted at Vicky, a little bit angry.

“He’s a hostile being--!” 

“That doesn’t mean that you just attack him because you want to show off the fact that you’re not such a damsel in distress!” Goat interrupted her, concurring with Michael. 

“Says the goat who pulled his friend out of the situation!” 

“That’s because you provoked the Biologist! Now he’s going to bust down the door and sliced us all because of you!” Goat barked at Vicky aggressively.

E.B slid down from the chickeraffe and tried for the backdoor but soon realized that it’s locked. “Uh, guys, the backdoor is locked.” 

Goat glared at Vicky, flicking his ears in rage. “Now you got us trapped in the flipping kitchen!” 

“Hey! I didn’t know that the backdoor was locked!”

“You said that you know the way out!”

“Yes, I do and it’s that way!”

“Well, now, we can’t go out that way, can we?!” Goat yelled at the vixen. 

Michael twitched his ears to hear the Biologist trying to bust through the door. “Guys! Fighting about it isn’t going to get us anywhere! We got to find another way out!” 

Mr. Jenkins warbled fearfully while pacing around the room as the yelling from Goat, Michael, and Vicky continued on. E.B petted her friend to calm him down. 

“It’s okay, Mr. Jenkins--” 

The pounding from the door added the sounds that caused the chickeraffe anxiety. Subconsciously, Mr. Jenkins extended his neck and bumped his head against the ceiling accidentally, unknowingly next to the door that would lead to the ceiling of the facility they’re in. E.B massaged the chickeraffe’s neck softly while looking up to meet his eyes. 

“Calm down, Mr. Jenkins,” E.B whispered softly. Both she and Jean, who perched on her shoulder, noticed the trapdoor that led out of the place they’re in. Both E.B and Jean exchanged brief glances. 

“We have to tell the others!” E.B uttered loudly while Jean nodded his head in agreement with a squeak. 

E.B turned to the other animals, who were still arguing about the situation they got themselves. 

“GUYS!” E.B shouted over the conversation but they didn’t listen to him.

Vicky had her fists on her hips with a stern glare. “Look, you’re just jealous that I can fight better--!”

Goat gritted his teeth angrily. “I don’t flipping care if you can fight better or not--!”

“Guys! Come on! Why can’t we be friends for a moment?!” Michael barked his question.

“Guys!” E.B yelled at her group.

“Not now, sweetie,” Vicky responded softly but sternly to E.B like a mother.

“Sweetie?! Since when is E.B your ‘sweetie’?! You barely know her!” Goat growled at the vixen. 

The vixen’s stern glare fell. She stopped shouting back and paused. Goat stopped too, his eyes widened from suddenly realizing what’s going on with the vixen.

Michael sighed in relief as he heard the sawblade running. “Guys, we have to think about the way out.”

Goat and Vicky exchanged soft glances at each other for a moment, while Goat nodded in agreement. 

“I concur,” Goat uttered, shifting his soft gaze at Michael. 

“Guys, there is a way out,” E.B replied while the others glanced over at her. She pointed at the trapdoor on the ceiling above her and Jean. 

“Huh, there is a way out,” Goat muttered to himself as the sawblade went through the door behind them. 

“Open the door, quickly!” Michael commanded as E.B climbed up on Mr. Jenkins’s neck and spun the wheel around to open the trap door up. She climbed through the opening and stood on the rooftop. Michael stood underneath the opening and placed his paws on top of each other so that he could help his group. “I’ll boost you guys up!” 

“Thanks!” Vicky replied while Michael boosted her up through the opening. Mr. Jenkins hopped onto the rooftop next to E.B after Vicky climbed through the opening.

Goat glanced back to see that the Biologist was almost through the door. He immediately ran up to Michael and Michael boosted him up to the opening. However, Goat immediately used his back hooves and hanged upside down so that his front hooves could grab Michael by the wrist.

“Michael!” Goat called as Michael glanced up to notice his hooves extended out towards him. The fox leaped and grabbed onto the goat’s hooves. Goat pulled Michael up with the help of Mr. Jenkins grabbing one of his ankles and pulling him through the opening before the Biologist could bust down the blockade to get to them.

Goat and Michael immediately stood up on the rooftop. 

“Close it!” Goat shouted as Vicky and E.B pushed the trapdoor on the rooftop closed. Both of the ladies sighed in relief until they heard the sawblade running again. The saw plunged through the rooftop next to the trapdoor, cutting out a square shape and letting the cutout fell into the building. 

The Biologist hopped onto the rooftop with an incredible amount of effort in his legs and glared at all of them. Michael stood in front of them with a soft gaze. 

“Look, man, we can still talk about this--”

Biologist’s head began to twitch while groaning. “I-I’m S-SoRrY...hAd To FiNiSh WhAt I sTaRtEd.” 

“What did you start?!” Michael shouted his question as the Biologist trudged towards them.

The Biologist groaned while twitching his head. “I-I’m SoRrY.” 

Goat glanced around him, trying to think up of a plan fast before anything bad happened to them. He noticed a dam ahead of them, making him questioned of why this building was standing in the middle of the way where the water may burst through the logs. Although, that just gave him the idea of what to do next. 

Goat spotted Mr. Jenkins watching from the side, cowering in fear. He smiled brightly when he remembered something that he normally would like to forget.

“Jenkins! FETCH!” Goat yelled enthusiastically while pointing at the Biologist. “Fetch, Jenkins, fetch!” 

Jenkins became rallied up with that word while fluffing his feathers and warbling excitedly.

Everyone around him arched a brow, having no idea what he’s doing.

The Biologist tilted his head in confusion. “WhAT?” 

As if it’s on cue, Jenkins snatched the Biologist around the wrist, spun him around and around, and threw him at the dam before the Biologist could take any action. 

Everyone had their eyes widened except Goat, who just laughed maniacally. 

“HA! Now you know how it feels!” Goat hooted with his hoof pumped up in the air. He soon realized that everyone had their stares set on him with confusion written on their faces. He cleared his throat. “Uh...pretend you didn’t hear that.”

E.B and the animals heard a creaking sound and lifted their gazes up at the dam. 

“Uh, you do realize that your flightless bird just threw my suspect at the dam, right?” Vicky indicated with her finger raised.

Goat furrowed his brows at Vicky. “I’m sorry, your suspect?! Zorra, the last time I checked, he’s  **our** suspect!”

“And you guys handled it by randomly singing in the bar, being abducted, and then laughed your heads off while the little girl rescued you? I say that you handled it perfectly well,” Vicky answered with a sarcastic tone to mostly Goat. Jean used white chalk and marked another point on the scoreboard for Vicky. 

Goat raised his brow to wonder how she knew about the laughing serum. He then shifted his focus on E.B, who just laughed nervously.

“I may have told her about the Laughing Serum incident while you guys were hiding in the locker,” E.B added while rubbing her arm anxiously and plastering an innocent grin. 

Goat gave her a deadpanned stare. “We don’t share personal things with complete strangers, niña.” 

They heard more creaking sounds as they shot their glances back at the dam, witnessing the water bursting through one giant hole in the dam. It crashed onto the jungle terrain but it flooded by the building, not strong enough to knock it down. 

“Hmph, looks like we’re going to have to fetch the Biologist out of the water,” Goat uttered. 

Vicky slowly turned her head at Goat. “How are we going to get him out of the water? He’s a fast swimmer--”

“With no hands? All he got was a saw blade and a claw for hands. What more can he do besides dissecting people like he’s in a Biology lab?” Goat gruffed with a cocky tone. 

Vicky put her fists on her hips. “I wouldn’t be questioning that if I were you.”

Michael heard a sawblade sound from a distance with a perturbed gaze. “Uh...guys.” 

Goat and Vicky turned to Michael and noticed the dam slowly breaking through. 

“He’s breaking the dam,” Vicky said with a quiet gasp. 

“How would you know?!” Goat barked, his brow furrowed. 

The water began to break through more as Jenkins warbled anxiously and shrunk himself into a dark pink furball, sucking Jean and the scoreboard into the ball. E.B noticed this as Jenkins used his foot to pull the little girl into the furball. 

“Jenkins!” E.B yelped as the furball rolled off of the building. 

Goat, Michael, and Vicky saw this with arched eyebrows.

“Well, looks like we missed our ride.” Goat sighed at the end of the sentence and shifted his attention to the dam. As if it’s on cue, the water bursting some more before the whole dam broke down. Goat broadened his eyes with a surprised gasp. “Run!” 

Vicky, Goat, and Michael leaped off of the one-story building and sprinting in all fours away from the rushing water. The water broke through the building that they were just standing on, engulfing it as the water rushed onward towards the three of them. Sadly, the three of them weren’t able to outrun the flood chasing them. The water rushed through the group, consuming them. 

Goat held in his breath while trying to swim away out with his injured foreleg. Vicky found a trunk of a tree nearby and grabbed it with her claws while holding her breath. Michael struggled swimming, not strong enough to push himself back up into the surface. 

Goat popped his head out of the water with a huge gasp and held onto a nearby rock, breathing heavily. He noticed Vicky holding onto the tree trunk for dear life, the water lowering itself for her to breath in the surface. He whipped his glance around him to look for Michael.

“Vicky! Where’s Michael?!” Goat shouted his question to the vixen.

Before Vicky could answer, Michael lifted his head out of the water and grabbed onto a thin plant that wouldn’t hold him for long.

“Atticus!” Michael called out Goat’s real name, trying to keep his head above the rushing water. 

Goat shot a surprised gaze at the fox behind him, his eyes enlarged. He extended his hoof for Michael to grab. “Michael! Swim-up to me!”

“I-I can’t!” Michael yelled as the plant was slowly breaking. 

“Yes, you can! I believe in you, Michael!” Goat encouraged. 

“No--I can’t swim!” Michael barked his response, causing Goat to lose his encouraging smile. The stem of the plant broke off, letting the water washed Michael away from his friends. “Help!” 

Goat whipped his focus back at Vicky. “I’m going to get Michael!” 

Before the vixen could object, Goat let go of the rock and dove through the rushing water after Michael.

Vicky bit her lip while the waves kept pushing through the terrain harder. However, a familiar animal leg was extended in front of her. She followed her gaze up at Mr. Jenkins standing on the strong branch with E.B riding him and Jean sitting on her shoulder. 

“Climb on, Vicky!” E.B shouted as Vicky smiled at the little girl and her animal friends. Vicky grabbed onto the leg as the leg pulled her up on the branch. 

“We got to get Goat and Michael!” Vicky determined loudly as she hopped on the chickeraffe’s back behind E.B and Jean. 

The chickeraffe warbled in agreement and hopped through the tree branches to go after Goat and Michael.

Meanwhile, Goat swam with the current to get to Michael faster. Michael tried to keep his head above the water but the water kept pushing him under, not letting him breathe. Goat noticed the cliff ahead that created a waterfall from the flood. He grunted and narrowed his eyes in determination. Michael had his paw raised above the water but that was soon buried underneath the water. Goat saw a rock that’s near the parted the waters rushing to the cliff of the waterfall and hopped onto quickly. But, by then, Michael already fell off the cliff before Goat could reach him. 

“Michael!” Goat cried out, his hoof trembling. 

Michael crashed through the water below them. Mr. Jenkins arrived at the scene with Vicky and E.B riding him, standing on the tree branch extended towards the cliff. 

“What happened?!” Vicky shouted her question.

Goat narrowed his brows together and then stepped back a few steps. He ran towards the ledge and dove off towards the water below them. 

“Goat!” Both Vicky and E.B called out. The chickeraffe warbled and sprinted towards the way that would let them reach to the bottom without jumping. 

Meanwhile, Michael floated down into the water, his eyes fluttered close. There were no more bubbles coming out of his lips as he drifted below towards the darkness of the lake. His arms and legs were held out while his waist was the only weight that pulled him down. He could hear whispers around him as he was drowning...some were incoherent and some were just plain confusing. 

_ “Take the boy!”  _

_ “Don’t let them take my baby!”  _

_ “Run, Bailey! Run!” _

_ “Get him somewhere safe!”  _

_ “Finish the job!”  _

Michael could also hear someone diving through the water after him. As the sounds faded away and the darkness enclosed him, he felt someone grabbing him by his wrists. 

~.~ 

Mr. Jenkins arrived at the coast of the lake, scanning the lake. Vicky dismounted and walked towards the water. 

She suddenly noticed bubbles popping through the surface. “Guys?!” 

Before she could dive in and swim after Goat and Michael, both of them popped their heads out of the wall. Goat had his arms wrapped around Michael’s chest and kicked his hind legs through the water to take the passed-out fox to the shore where the rest of the gang were standing. When his back hooves touched the shallow end, he gently grabbed Michael’s nape with his mouth and used his fours to pulled him onto the sand. 

Goat let go of Michael’s fur and let him drop onto the sand. “Michael.”

Michael didn’t respond as Goat grabbed his face and examined him.

“Michael, can hear me?” 

Goat began to panic as he tried to find a way to wake him up. “Michael!” 

He inhaled deeply and parted Michael’s lips. He breathed into the fox’s mouth, giving the oxygen into Michael’s lungs. He pulled his head away from Michael’s and placed his front hooves on the fox’s furry chest and gave little pushes on the chest to get his heart going. 

“Come on, Michael. Come on,” Goat muttered underneath his breath as he parted the fox’s lips again and breathed into him routinely. As soon as Goat pulled his head away from Michael’s and gave little pushes on his chest, Michael coughed up the water that had been trapped inside of him. He gasped heavily but his eyes were still closed.

Goat smiled in relief. “Oh, Michael, you scared me.” Goat rested his head on the fox’s chest, hearing his heartbeat going again which made him smile even more. 

“Guys, Michael is okay--!” As Goat turned around to look at the others, they disappeared without a trace.

Goat lost his smile. “Uh...where did you guys go?” 

He turned back around and was too late to see a purple monkey knocking him out. Goat grunted and collapsed on the ground next to Michael, with darkness embracing him.

_**To Be Continued...** _


	10. Episode Ten: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the lack of updates on this story. I've been constantly busy with stuff and forgot that it's here on this account too. I hope you guys still enjoy it!

_**Episode Ten: Wrong Place, Wrong Time** _

Gluntz and Louis arrived at the wooden cabin in the dark pouring rain, far out in the country about twenty-two miles away from Glurfsburg. Both of them exited out of the vehicle they were riding in and strolled towards the cabin.

"So...is this where we'll get more clues about Snerz's location?" Louis asked while they approached the front door.

"Yeah. They have a library full of books that were banned in public libraries mostly," Gluntz responded as she pressed on the doorbell, making a pretty soft ring.

"Do you know the people who lived here?" Louis inquired out of pure curiosity.

Before Gluntz answered his question, the front door was prompted open to reveal an older woman who's yellow-furred like Gluntz's. She had an apron on as if she's just cooking dinner while the woman smiled enthusiastically at Gluntz.

"Gluntz!" The woman shouted as both of the girls hugged each other tightly.

"Hi, Mama!" Gluntz uttered happily while hugging her mother tightly.

Louis smiled softly at the exchange between Gluntz and her mother.

Gluntz's mother noticed Louis standing idly behind her daughter. "Who's this?"

Gluntz perked her head while both she and her mother broke away and smiled brightly. "Oh, Mom, this is Louis. Louis, this is my mom."

Louis waved slightly while extending his hand for Gluntz's mother to shake. "Hello, Mrs--"

"Oh, what a respectable young man. You can call me Nancy, dear," Nancy, Gluntz's mother, responded in a sweet tone while shaking his hand. She shifted her curious gaze at her daughter. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"What?!" Both Louis and Gluntz exclaimed.

Louis blushed madly while covering his face with the collar of his coat and shaking his head.

Gluntz chuckled giddily at her mother with her face bright pink. "N-No! We're not in a relationship...Ahaha...h-he just works with me. That's all."

Nancy smirked with her arms crossed against her chest. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we're just working on the case together. Right, Louis?" Gluntz inquired Louis.

Louis cleared his throat while trying to hide his blush. "Yeah. Yeah."

"Oh, Mom, get this! Louis is the son of my former partner," Gluntz pointed out the fun fact excitedly while her arm was wrapped around Louis's.

Nancy's brows jumped and gasped. "McWinkle?"

"Yeah."

Nancy's smile brightened up. "Well, why don't you guys come on in? Dinner is almost ready."

Gluntz sniffed in the air as both she and Louis walked through the door of the cabin. "It smells good in there."

"It's green eggs and ham," Nancy responded sweetly. "Ted! Look who came home!"

As if it's on cue, a buff yellow furred man walked into the scene with a gray and yellow flannel shirt and a funny brown-furred looking mustache underneath his nose. He smiled warmly when he saw Gluntz approaching him.

"Hi, baby girl!" Gluntz's father, Ted, cooed as he gave Gluntz a big bear hug.

"Hi, daddy," Gluntz chirped happily with a few chuckles from her dad.

Ted suddenly noticed Louis standing idly next to Nancy, piercing a withering glare at Gluntz's partner.

"And who's this stranger?" Ted asked, his voice immediately changed into a low growl.

"Oh, Dad, this is Louis McWinkle, McWinkle's son. Louis, this is my Dad," Gluntz introduced both Louis and her dad excitedly.

Louis extended his hand out to shake Ted's. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

Ted shook Louis's hand firmly. "You have a good grip, kid."

"Thank you, sir."

Ted let go of Louis's hand and shifted his attention to his daughter. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"Uh...no. He just works with me," Gluntz answered with a shade of pink showing in her cheeks.

"Uh-huh," Ted responded with a smirk.

"Yeah, we're just working on the case together," Louis confirmed Gluntz's answer with a nod while trying to hide his blush still.

"Ah, I see. Well, dinner is ready," Ted replied, gesturing to the kitchen table. "While we're eating, you can tell us about your jobs."

"Yes!" Nancy exclaimed excitedly. "We would love to hear all about it!"

Gluntz scratched the back of her head. "Well, it's kind of complicated."

"Your mother and I had faced complications, sweetheart. There's nothing you can say that would phase us," Ted answered with a chuckle.

"Right," Nancy concurred with her husband.

Louis clenched his jaw a bit. "You sure?"

Ted smirked. "Try us."

~.~

While they were sitting in their seats around the wooden table and eating dinner, Louis and Gluntz explained the whole case and situation to Gluntz's parents. Nancy had her pupils shrunk in pure horror while Ted sipped his tea slowly to the point of slurping, imagining all the horrid stuff they were describing.

"So, that's mostly why we came here. We figured that there's a clue about Snerz's partner and we thought that you could help us," Gluntz explained while trying to plaster a smile on her face so that her parents knew that everything will be okay.

Ted cleared his throat. "Are you sure you can tackle this case?"

"I've tackled worst, sir," Louis informed respectfully.

"I'm asking Gluntz but I'm glad you can handle it," Ted acknowledged as he shifted his glance over at his daughter.

Gluntz nodded her head. "Yeah. It's hard but I can handle it."

Nancy held Gluntz's hand in endearment. "We just want you to be safe, dear. That's all."

"You guys don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine," Gluntz responded while smiling at her mother.

Ted nodded his head slightly. "You both can use our library. Find Snerz and put him back where he belongs."

"With pleasure," Louis muttered underneath his breath but no one heard him.

Ted finished his plate while getting up from his seat and strolling across the living room. He approached the wall on the other side of the room, using his hands to examine the texture of it. He felt a button and pressed it. The secret door that blended naturally within the wall slid open.

Gluntz and Louis stood up from their seats and approached behind Ted to see that the secret door had stairs leading into the library that Gluntz was talking about.

Ted turned to them and gestured them down the stairs. "There's the library. If you have any questions, you come talk with me or your mom, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, daddy," Gluntz uttered as she hugged her father. "You're the best."

"Any time you need help, dear," Ted responded while hugging his daughter back tightly.

Gluntz and Ted broke apart as Gluntz headed downstairs. Louis trailed behind her into the library downstairs.

~.~

Two hours passed by as both Louis and Gluntz were reading through the books that had to do with the nuclear bombs and Snerz's and Jeckles's alliances. However, Louis had the picture of the familiar circular symbol with two snakes crossing each other like an 'X' mark out, just to search through the book.

"Did you find anything?" Gluntz asked while reading through the history of nuclear bombs.

Louis shrugged as he noticed something golden at the corner of his eyes. He pulled out a golden book with the cursed symbol engraved.

"Um, Gluntz, why do your parents have this book?" Louis uttered his question while showing Gluntz the book.

Gluntz raised a brow. "What's that supposed to be? And why do my parents have it?"

"Well, it's worth finding out." Louis opened the book and the first thing he noticed was the list of names that were written in cursive. He scrutinized the names until he got to the name that he was familiar with.

Gluntz arched a brow when Louis's finger was underneath a name that she didn't recognize. "Sara?"

"That's-That's my mother's name." Louis saw the page number for the name and flipped it over to the exact page. Louis had his eyes bulged out immediately in horror as he analyzed the sketches of the familiar girl being tortured for no reason. Or was there a reason? Whether there's a reason or not, Louis's heart shattered in instant realization.

"M-Mom?" Louis whimpered as he caressed his finger on his mother's sketched out face.

Gluntz gasped in surprise as she noticed Louis's lip and eyes trembling. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Do you think McWinkle knew?"

"I-I don't know. Dad and I don't usually keep secrets from each other. Maybe that's-that's something to ask him," Louis stuttered, beyond speechless of what he's saying.

They suddenly heard footsteps coming down the stairs. They whipped their glances up at Nancy, who just brought a tray with lemonade drinks with cute colorful umbrellas on each of them.

"I hope you guys wouldn't mind a drink of lemona--AAAHHH!" Nancy screamed at the end of her sentence while losing her grip on the tray. The tray clattered on the floor with glass cups shattered. The lemonade was stained on the wooden floor as Nancy breathed heavily from staring at the golden book.

Gluntz immediately widened her eyes and zoomed over to her mother's aid. "Mom, is everything okay?!"

They heard running feet stepping downstairs.

"What's going on?" Ted demanded harshly, not intentionally at anyone.

Nancy put her hand over her chest while pointing at the golden book. "Where did you guys find that?!"

Louis instantly made the connection between the book and Gluntz's parents. "I found it in one of the shelves, ma'am. Why do you guys have this book?"

"Why would you even ask?" Ted growled defensively while comforting his wife.

"This may be the connection to the case we're trying to solve," Louis explained to Ted calmly, keeping his composure.

"Why did you keep the book, Ted?" Nancy uttered, panicking.

Ted shifted his worried glance back at his wife. "I threw it out a long time ago. H-How did it even end back here?"

"Why did you guys even have it in the first place?" Gluntz questioned both of her parents immediately, seeming afraid of what's going on.

There's a brief unsettling silence in the air. Nancy gathered herself, calming herself down from freaking out earlier. She shifted her gaze up at her husband, who exchanged a soft gaze back to her. It's almost like they're reading each other's minds, knowing what they must do.

Ted and Nancy shifted their attention back to Louis and Gluntz.

"Why don't we sit down," Nancy uttered softly as they sat on the wooden stools surrounding the wooden table full of books scattered everywhere. 

Nancy shifted her focus on her husband. "Are you going to tell her? Or do you want me to tell her?"

"It's best if I tell her," Ted answered willingly, with gentleness in his tone.

Nancy nodded her head in understanding while she leaned back to let her husband take over the talk.

Ted took a deep breath and gazed into his daughter's eyes. "Gluntz...there's something that I should've told you--well, that we should've told you a long time ago. You were only a baby but at the time we thought it's best if you didn't know."

Gluntz leaned in closely. "Yeah?"

Ted had his eyes closed for a moment while reopening them with a sigh. "When your mother is pregnant with you, your mother and I went to this place. At first, we thought that it's a wonderful place to raise you but...that changed."

_Flashback: Thirty-Seven years ago._

Ted and Nancy, in their younger years, drove through the village surrounded by a forest with light grey cloudy skies in the background.

_We moved into a nice neighborhood full of people wearing masks. At the time, we didn't know why. It might be a virus going around for all we know. Or they're just completely scared of germs...heh, that's kind of our inside joke. However, as soon as we moved in, we received this book..._

Ted and Nancy, carrying their briefcases, moved into a two-story wooden house. Nancy smiled brightly at how elegant the place appeared to be.

"This is beautiful," Nancy uttered while noticing the crystal chandeliers hanged up in the highest ceiling while stairs were placed aside from the huge living room.

"I feel like this is where the rich people live in," Ted muttered while setting the briefcases down.

"Well, it certainly looks wonderful."

"We might get bored of it eventually. I'm wondering if they have a hunting range or something--"

"We don't have those," A kid-like voice interrupted him. Ted jumped a bit and turned around to notice a grey-furred kid staring up at him while holding a golden book with the newly circular symbol engraved on the book cover. There were two black masks and earpieces placed on top of the book.

"Uh, hello there," Ted uttered, having his hand over his heart. "What's that?"

"Please, take it. It's our generous gift for newcomers. You belong here now," The kid responded with a plastered smile.

Ted had his brow raised, almost like he noticed something off about the kid.

"Oh, lovely," Nancy spoke up from behind Ted and took the book along with the masks and earpieces. "Thank you for the gifts."

"You are very welcome," The kid responded kindly as he began to walk away.

Ted tapped on the kid's shoulder, causing the kid to turn around anxiously.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Ted immediately apologized while kneeling down to make the same level-eye contact with the kid. "You must be new to this whole introductions thing in neighborhoods...my name is Ted and this is my wife, Nancy."

Nancy waved gently to the kid. "Hi."

"What's your name?" Ted asked gently, keeping his soft gaze on the kid, who seemed skittish.

The kid looked around frantically and then cleared his throat. "I'm Magnus...Magnus Stanley."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Magnus," Ted replied while extending his hand out to Magnus for the kid to shake.

Magnus shook his head while giving a deadpanned stare at Ted. "The whispers told me not to shake your hand, Ted."

After he said that, Magnus took off and sprinted away from both Ted and Nancy. Ted arched a brow while standing back up on his feet. He slowly closed the door.

"Aww, what a nervous little boy," Nancy uttered, with pity nesting in her eyes.

While she took her own briefcases upstairs, Ted felt uneasy with hands rubbing against each other. "That-That boy doesn't seem nervous."

_There's something suspicious about that kid...it could be that he had social anxiety as your mother theorized. Or it could be more. Sometimes I would get carried away with my worries. We were invited to attend to what the people in that village called 'The Purge' or something like that. We were required to wear a mask and earpieces. Both your mother and I decided not to wear the earpieces since...they have these weird creepy voices in them. So, we just wore masks instead...and...that's when things go terribly wrong._

"Rejoice, death is not the end!" The priest preached boldly on stage over the crowd of thousands of people.

Ted and Nancy had their eyes widened with confusion shown on their faces. The masks covered their mouths in the overcast morning, having shortness of breath from wearing them for too long.

"It's getting hard to breathe," Nancy whispered to Ted.

"We'll leave in a minute," Ted muttered back, holding her hand.

They watched on as they noticed a young teenage red-furred boy strapped onto the machine, shaking violently as the priest continued on with his preaching.

This bothered both Ted and Nancy as to why the boy was up there unless he had done something terribly and maliciously wrong. They knew that they had to ask someone around them.

"Excuse me," Ted uttered while tapping on a woman with a black dress. She slowly turned and stared coldly in his eyes. "Hi...uh, was the boy put on trial or something?"

"Oh no...no...no...no, no, no," The woman answered tenderly that hid some kind of brokenness in her tone, almost creepily.

The chills went down on Ted's spine while he shook it off. "Well, why is that kid up there?"

"He's-He's supposed to be made perfectly."

"I'm sorry, perfectly?"

"Well, look at him, he has a disorder. A mental disorder that is."

Ted arched a brow. "I beg your pardon but what kind disorder does this kid even have that you made you think he needs to be 'made perfect'."

"Autism...mostly."

"Uh...I'm sorry, autism? Why? If you're going to electrocute that kid...you're going to make his symptoms worst. Even traumatized him more severely if you guys keep this up," Ted pointed out as the kid was beginning to scream out in pain from being electrocuted. Both Nancy and Ted witnessed this with small gasps.

Tears edged out of Nancy's eyes. "Oh, dear."

"He's supposed to fit in...and this is how he learns to fit in," The woman responded as she turned her head back to watch the commotion go on.

As the priest concluded his sermon, the kid screamed louder than both Ted and Nancy had ever heard. The pain and agony in his scream clenched at the couple's hearts. They saw that the blue-furred teenage girl couldn't watch anymore as she passed through the crowd and headed straight for the plugin for the machine. She pulled the plug and the machine turned off instantly, letting the kid strapped on it to breathe heavily. One of the doctors turned to her with a glare.

"You, woman!" The doctor barked at her as she ran away from the stage. However, there were buff men at the front row of the crowd who snatched her by the small arms. She struggled against their grips but it's useless to fight against their strength. They carried her up on stage next to the priest and threw her at the priest's feet.

"Did the whispers tell you to commit such acts?" the priest asked the teenage girl.

The girl licked her lips a bit. "Yes."

"Why would the whispers want you to break its own rule?"

"She didn't have her mask and earpiece on!" The woman in front of Ted and Nancy screamed from the crowd.

The priest turned to the girl with a sneer. "Where is it, child?"

"I-I lost them."

"You lost something that you could've easily worn all the time?"

"Yes, sir." The girl flicked a glance up at the kid strapped onto the machine, who appeared to be desperate from the couple's perspective. She shifted her gaze back at the priest.

"Do you know what else those whispers were telling me?" the girl asked the priest.

"What, child?"

"To do...this!" The girl charged at the priest and grabbed his knife before he could make any reaction. She used her shoulder to shove the priest away from her while obtaining the sharp knife. The two doctors came at her but she cut them in the arms and throats to get them out of her way. The buff men who took her on stage, came after her until she was able to stab them in the chest, leaving them wounded and unable to get up.

The audience gasped in horror except for Ted and Nancy. She quickly cut the leather straps holding the red-furred boy down to let him go free. The red-furred boy seemed confused by her actions.

"Go!" the girl screamed her demand as the kid bolted out of the city without any hesitation. Before the girl could go with him, a sharp needle jabbed at her shoulder blade from behind. Ted and Nancy gasped in shock as the doctors grabbed her by the arms and strapped her onto the machine.

"Wait, you can't do that--!"

Ted shushed Nancy while gripping her hand tightly.

"Sara had committed the acts against the village, the whispers! Now, she'll receive the same punishment!"

The doctors plugged the machine on and flipped the switch. The teenage girl named Sara was electrocuted for all to see. She cried out in pain as Ted covered Nancy's eyes while he watched her screaming out with pure horror.

_That poor girl...she's tortured just to save an innocent autistic boy from those lunatics. We knew...we just instantly knew...that we couldn't stay here any longer. And most importantly, we couldn't raise you there._

In the dead of night, Ted and Nancy packed their stuff and loaded it into the car.

"Hurry, honey, hurry," Ted urged quickly as Nancy had the last of her stuff in her hands.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, I can't run fast when I'm pregnant," Nancy uttered as she hopped into the yellow car that they used to drive them here in the first place.

Ted jumped into his car on the driver's side and stuck the keys into ignition quickly. The car roared to life as he slammed his foot against the gas pedal. The car screeched to drive off and zoomed through the village. As he drove onto the road, he spotted an exit ahead of them.

"Don't worry, honey. We'll find a nice place to live in that doesn't involve torturing disabled children. That's just sick!" Ted cursed, finding it disturbing that the villagers found torturing kids with disabilities as a way of 'fitting in'. What if their child had a disorder similar to that poor boys or worst? There's no way that Ted wouldn't let those sickos touch his child.

Before they could cross the line of finally exiting out of the area, a truck came out of nowhere from the side and rammed into them, shoving them onto a ditch next to them. The yellow car flipped over the cliff, tumbling down from the cliff from what felt like forever. Finally, the car reached the bottom, broken and upside down.

Ted groaned in pain as he immediately checked on his pregnant wife. "Honey...ugh, are you okay?"

Nancy screamed in immense pain. "Honey! I-I think the-the baby is coming right now!"

"What?! At this time?!" Ted groaned while cutting off the leather seatbelt and crashed onto the ground. "Hold on!"

Ted crawled out of the vehicle and stood up quickly to his feet. He immediately circled around to see his wife in pain. "Okay, honey, come on, we got to go."

He crouched back into the vehicle and helped his wife down gently.

"Be careful...the baby--"

"I know, I know."

Ted and Nancy immediately stumbled away from the car while hearing voices coming from behind them. There's a hole in the barbed wire fence that could fit both of them. Ted continued to guide his wife through the hole on the fence and sprinted towards the open country road.

"W-Where's the hospital?" Nancy uttered a question.

"I don't know. The important thing is that we find a safe place for the baby to come. Come on," Ted urged as they trudged across the street, trying to find a safe place where the baby could be born.

They noticed upcoming headlights approaching them. Ted had his arm over his wife to protect her from the vehicle that came to a stop. There's a distant pause as the couple wasn't sure if it's those weird lunatics worshipping the whisperers. As the door was prompted open, Ted was ready to fight whoever was getting out of the car. But luckily, he didn't have to fight. He saw a big blue-furred man with a black cowboy hat, staring at them with confusion in his eyes.

Nancy screamed out in pain as Ted heard the voices coming from the side.

"Please, help us, sir...we mean you no trouble. My wife...she's pregnant and she's having the baby right now--!"

The big blue-furred man quickly gestured them to get in the vehicle without hesitation. "Get in! Quickly!"

Ted and Nancy quickly hopped into the red car that the big blue-furred man was driving. As soon as they got in the car, the blue-furred man quickly drove off towards the nearest hospital so that Nancy could deliver the baby.

As Nancy was breathing in and out rapidly, Ted shifted his glance over at the big blue-furred man.

"Thank you so much," Ted uttered, his tone grateful.

"It's not a problem. This is my first time running into some kind of a situation," The big blue-furred man responded with a nervous chuckle. He flicked a glance at Ted for a moment and then back on the road. "Boy or girl?"

"Girl," Ted answered, seeming to be out of breath.

The blue-furred man nodded his head in understanding. "Congratulations then."

"Thank you." Ted paused for a moment. "I-I'm Ted, by the way. My wife's name is Nancy."

"McWinkle," the big blue-furred man, McWinkle, introduced himself while tipping his hat to Ted in greeting.

Ted extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." McWinkle shook Ted's hand firmly.

_Present: Thirty-Seven years later._

"We drove to the hospital as fast as we can and then...you were born," Ted finished his story.

Louis and Gluntz had their eyes widened.

"That's an interesting story. Wait, my dad was there?" Louis asked.

Ted nodded. "Yep."

Louis chuckled a bit. "My dad must have been a saint."

"He truly was," Nancy responded with a soft smile.

"I never imagine him hitchhiking with strangers," Gluntz added. "Wait, Mom, is that why you gasped slightly when you 'first' met McWinkle?"

Nancy nodded her head. "Yep. I think McWinkle recognized us too."

Gluntz dropped her jaw. "And you guys didn't tell me that you knew him!"

"Well, we didn't think it was important at the time. Again, you are inside your mother's womb when this all happens," Ted explained further.

"The important thing is that you survived despite being in a car accident," Nancy reassured her daughter while rubbing her daughter's knee to comfort her.

"You're a miracle child actually. Most babies wouldn't survive after the car accident," Ted remarked while Gluntz still had the shocked look on her face.

Gluntz cleared her throat. "You know what? I'm going to get some fresh air outside."

Gluntz strolled out of the library quickly, trying to wrap her mind around the situation.

Nancy had her hand over her heart with a guilty look on her face. "I think we just made her upset."

Ted sighed heavily. "I'll go talk to her."

"Actually, it's better if I talk to her, sir," Louis volunteered. "She probably needed a second pair of eyes since hearing that story."

"Oh...uh, okay," Ted uttered, arching a brow.

Louis headed out of the library and ambled through the living room. He noticed Gluntz standing outside on the wooden porch in the dark rainy night.

He opened the door to the front porch with a small smile. "Need company?"

Gluntz turned her head as Louis stepped next to her and leaned on the banister of the porch.

Gluntz blushed lightly while facing the rainy scenery. "I-I'm still trying to wrap my mind about this story."

"You never heard of that story?"

"Well, I was told a couple of times that I was a miracle baby...but I never understood why."

Louis cornered a soft grin. "Well, now you know."

"Yeah...but why did I make it out alive? How? What was the purpose?"

Louis lost his grin and pondered about the question. "If you hadn't made it, you wouldn't be standing here today. Maybe the purpose of having you survive is for you to help those in need like being an agent in the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S force."

Gluntz gazed up at Louis with a small hopeful smile. "You think so?"

Louis nodded his head while shifting his focus on her. "Yeah, I think so."

They exchanged warm smiles at each other. They noticed their soft stares at each other and then quickly glanced away.

"I don't know how the story was supposed to have anything to do with Snerz," Gluntz uttered while rubbing her arm nervously.

"Actually, I think it gave us a deeper understanding of what type of business partners Snerz is dealing with."

"How so?"

"Think about it. Snerz is partnered with Jeckles's former partner who we're not sure the name of yet. Whoever Jeckles's former partner is, he's probably part of this cult...I think they're some kind of a cult that my mother...used to be a part of. So, Snerz might be joining in the crazy religious cult stuff since he's partnered with Jeckles's former partner."

"Hmm, that's an interesting theory--"

They heard vehicles driving up to the wooden cabin, causing them to be silent. Louis had his arm over Gluntz to protect her from the upcoming danger. They slowly backed away inside of the cabin as Nancy flipped the television on in the living room. She had her eyes widened in shock.

"Uh...Gluntz...Louis, you might want to take a look at this," Nancy uttered.

Louis and Gluntz turned to see the television showing pictures of Louis and Gluntz in wanted posters.

"We-We didn't do anything wrong," Gluntz muttered underneath her breath as she glanced up at Louis. "Right?"

Louis noticed his wanted poster with his photo on it and words that were written underneath his portrait: _Jeckles's Murderer._

Luckily, it was only a quick flash that only Louis saw but not Gluntz and Nancy.

~.~ 

Guy entered back into the store with Sam cradled in his arms, sleeping from eventually passing out from resting too long in his arms. When he walked into the store, he noticed Cat, Grinch, Gabriella, Max, and Karlos were fast asleep in the living room. Cat and Grinch slept by the fireplace with Max cuddling into the Grinch's side. Gabriella was found resting on top of the golden book with Karlos sleeping peacefully in his clean fishbowl. Guy couldn't help but smile at the group. Finally, a place to sleep for everyone for once.

Guy noticed that the empty couch and was about to lay his briefcase buddy down on the couch until Sam tugged at the neck fluff of his, indicating that he didn't want to let go. He glanced down at his friend, who seemed to moan in his sleep while rubbing his head against Guy's chest uncomfortably. Guy could instantly tell that Sam was having a little nightmare. Hopefully, the nightmares weren't so bad for Sam's as they were for Guy. He decided to lay down on the couch with Sam snuggled against his chest. He curled up a bit and looped his arm around his friend's small body. Guy heard Sam muttering in his sleep but they were incoherent. He blinked his eyes a bit while trying to rest them. However, he felt tensed to fall asleep with his friends...what if something bad happens to them or him in his sleep? What would happen if he fell asleep and never wake up from the horrifying nightmares that were yet to come?

Guy focused on Sam to notice that his briefcase buddy buried his head into his chest while whimpering.

"I'm right here, Sam," Guy muttered while holding him. "I'm right here."

Guy surely hoped that Sam wasn't having a nightmare about him. As he began to drift off to sleep, the darkness embraced him quickly. When the dark embraced him, he couldn't feel Sam's small body in his arms anymore.

_Sam's Dream:_

Sam found himself in the dark foggy forest, hearing low whispers that were incoherent for him to understand. He explored through the dark forest while hearing someone familiar sobbing.

"Guy?" Sam uttered as he saw his briefcase buddy in the distance, his orange fur soaked while his shoulders were shuddering. "G-Guy?"

Sam ambled towards his best friend while noticing him growling a bit.

"This is not real...this is not real," Guy muttered to himself, not realizing that Sam was right behind him.

"Are you doing okay, buddy?" Sam uttered while placing his hand on his wet back.

The minute Sam touched his back, Guy whirled around with tear-stained eyes. "YOU'RE NOT REAL!!!!"

Guy subconsciously smacked Sam with the back of his hand, sending the small man flying through the forest. He crashed onto the hollow tree far away from his friend.

Sam groaned in pain as tears gushed out of his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. He began to weep a bit while gazing up at his tall briefcase buddy, his small body trembling violently.

That's when Guy had his eyes enlarged in realization in the dream.

"S-Sam...? I-I--" Guy covered his head from the headaches raving on his mind while groaning.

"Guy," Sam whimpered, trying to stand back up on his own two feet.

Guy growled while shaking his head. "I-I-I'm sorry...S-Stay away from me."

Guy began to run off into the dark foggy forest.

"GUY!! WAIT!" Sam cried out while reaching his hand out for his briefcase buddy. Guy disappeared from sight. Sam quickly pursued the orange-furred knox. "Guy!"

As he ran through the dark forest, Sam noticed a wooden platform ahead of him with faceless figures facing the stage. He lifted his gaze up at the stage and noticed Guy strapped onto some kind of a machine tightly. Guy's body was shaking violently while a dark figure in a hood proclaimed something that Sam couldn't quite comprehend. All he saw was Guy's face, appearing to be zoned out and pale. He squeezed himself through the crowd just to get to Guy since he's short and they're tall. He found himself at the front row of the crowd, watching his best friend suffering.

The switch flipped on, Guy was electrocuted from the machine. He screamed out in pain, tears staining his cheeks. Sam's pupils shrunk in horror and his heart raced from hearing his best friend screaming. He had to do something about it.

"Hey!" Sam cried out but no one noticed him. He began to charge up at the stage but a few pairs of hands grabbed him by the arms and pulled him back towards the crowd. "Hey! Stop this! Let him go! Let my briefcase buddy go!"

The more Sam stared up at his best friend being tortured like some kind of an experiment, the more he screamed out for his buddy to be saved. He kept struggling the crowd's hold but they wouldn't let go of him. His throat was dry from screaming too hard and the crowd pulled him back away from the stage.

"LET HIM GO! LET HIM GO! PLEASE!!" Sam's yell was muffled by an eerie sound and Guy's painful screams while he kicked his feet in the air like a small child throwing a tantrum. "HE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS!! LET MY BRIEFCASE BUDDY GO!!!"

 _"Sam, wake up, you're dreaming,"_ A familiar soothing voice echoed into Sam's dream but it wasn't Guy's usual soothing voice.

_Reality:_

"Sam, you're dreaming, wake up."

Sam gasped while jolting awake from his sleep. He quickly glanced up to realize that it's Gabriella who woke him up with a soft gaze.

"Are you okay?" Gabriella asked Sam, who's been laying on the red couch this whole time.

Sam whipped his gaze around the living room and then turned around to notice that Guy was not anywhere to be found. "W-Where's Guy?"

"Um...I don't know...last time I checked, he's out there with you."

"Th-That means that Guy took me in and--why would he--I don't understand--"

"Sam, calm down. I'm sure Guy isn't too far from here," Gabriella assured Sam while rubbing on his shoulder.

Sam breathed heavily. "Something bad is going to happen to him...I just know it--I-I just--" His sentence was interrupted when he instantly burst into tears.

Gabriella gasped slightly and sat on the couch next to him quickly. She hugged him to comfort him while he hugged her back tightly. He wept into her pink fur, his body trembling non-stop.

She shushed him soothingly. "It's okay. It's okay. It's just a nightmare."

"It-It doesn't feel like a nightmare," he muttered in his sobs. "It felt real. Too real to be just a nightmare."

"How did it feel real?" she questioned while rubbing his upper back.

Sam sighed. "I was in a dark forest and G-Guy was there. He was jittering something about things not being real. I-I tried to comfort him until he--he--"

"He...what?"

"Hit me...he hit me and sent me flying through some kind of a dark forest, saying that I'm not real. Then...it's almost like he had a guilty conscious and apologized...and then told me to stay away from him."

"Then...?"

"Then he ran off...I chased after him. And I ran into something like a stage with a crowd of dark figures...just watching something."

"What?"

Sam bit his bottom lip to hold in his tears from crying more. "It was Guy...again. But he's strapped onto this machine that just--tortured him. He's-He's screaming out in pain and I tried to shout to leave him alone."

Sam began to sobbed some more as Gabriella held him tightly, rubbing her head next to his to show that she's right here with him.

"I tried to scream...no one could hear me," Sam trailed on, continuing to whimper. "No one could hear me--"

"Shh, I know. I understand. It's okay. It's okay," Gabriella soothed while holding him tighter. Unexpectedly, Sam clutched her fur on her back with his fingers tightly as if he didn't want to let go of her yet.

She subconsciously smiled and blushed a little bit for him to want to hold onto her for a little while longer. She held him close while resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Is this love I'm seeing?" Someone purred behind them.

Sam and Gabriella immediately broke apart and shot their glances at Cat, who seemed to have an arched brow while twitching his whiskers.

"Uh...what are you talking about?" Gabriella giggled nervously, blushing madly while pulling a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.

Sam's cheeks immediately went red from hearing Gabriella's nervous giggle and wiped his tears away. "We-We weren't doing anything."

"Uh-huh, sure. So, Gabby, when's the wedding?" Cat questioned while smirking teasingly at his 'daughter' figure. "Do I have to pay or what?"

"We're not getting married, Cat, sheesh!" Gabriella shouted defensively at her adopted father.

Cat glanced out of the book and stared straight into your soul. "You can totally tell that romance is blossoming between them."

"Who are you even talking to, Cat?" Grinch questioned with a yawn, waking up from his nap.

Cat shot a glance at Grinch. "Oh...just to the audience."

"Wait, we have an audience?" Sam questioned with his brow raised.

"CAT!" The Lorax stormed into the room with a tall old man looming behind him. "Stop breaking the fourth wall!"

"For goodness sakes, we don't need another drama from somewhere else unknown," The old man gruffed while his face was darkened and his green gloves that covered up to his elbows and tall boots were the only things that were glistening in the light from the fireplace.

Cat raised his brow. "I'm sorry. Who are you again?"

"The Oncelor," The man, Oncelor, responded with his arms crossed.

Cat nodded his head slowly. "Ah, right."

The Lorax swept his glance around the room with an arched brow. "Uh...where's Guy?"

Karlos just heard the conversation and popped out of his fishbowl for a quick minute. "Yeah, aren't you with him, Sam?"

Sam frowned for a moment. "The last time I saw him...Both of us were just hugging and then I must have passed out in his arms. I guess he placed me here and...went somewhere? I don't know."

"I'm sure Guy's brothers might have seen him," Gabriella stated with a small hopeful smile. "I mean, if they're not wandering around aimlessly in the Truffala Tree forest--."

"I'm sorry, Guy's brothers?" Oncelor joined in the conversation.

"Yeah, one of them is yellow-furred and the other one is blue-furred...did you see them?" The Lorax questioned his friend.

Oncelor took out a small remote from his green coat and pressed on the red button, dropping down two familiar men, who were tied upside down and against each other.

"What the heck just happened?!" Jeffrey, the yellow-furred man, screamed while wiggling around his bondage.

Dave, the blue-furred man, recognized Sam, Gabriella, Cat, Karlos, and the Lorax with a bright grin. "Hey, guys!"

The Lorax had his eyes widened. "You tied them up?!"

Oncelor shrugged his shoulders. "What?! They were trespassing on my property--!"

"I sent them over to you for a reason!"

"Oh," Oncelor uttered but then drew his brows together angrily. "It's not like I got a message from you that says, 'Keep them safe from whatever the heck is going on out there'!"

The Lorax furrowed his brow. "Well, can you please untie them?"

Oncelor grumbled a bit and drew out his pocket knife. He cut both Dave and Jeffrey down from the bundle of ropes. Both Jeffrey and Dave landed on their upper back while recovering their heads.

"Ow...okay...next time...tell us who you are sending us to before teleporting us out of nowhere," Jeffrey groaned as both Dave and Jeffrey glanced up at the group.

"Are you guys okay?" Sam inquired as he checked on Dave and Jeffrey.

Dave nodded his head. "Yeah, we're okay. We just ran into a miscommunication."

"I heard you guys talking about Guy," Jeffrey spoke up, skipping the subject.

"He went somewhere...we don't know where," Grinch explained with a shrug.

Oncelor strolled towards the window by his front door and squinted through the desolate dark fog. "I think he might be at that place."

The Lorax broadened his eyes wider. "Oh no, not that place--"

"Yep. That place."

Everyone was in complete silence, trying to think about the place both the Oncelor and the Lorax were talking about.

"I'm sorry, what place?" Karlos uttered, raising his fin to ask a question.

~.~

"Why are we doing this?" A female voice uttered from the void.

"Well, look at him. He's passed out," Another voice, which sounded like a young boy, answered.

"Yeah...but he's a fugitive."

"He might not be a fugitive. He might be someone who's trying to save us or something like that."

"How would you know that?"

"Have you read the books or news clippings about this man?"

"The ones banned by O'Hare?"

"Yeah."

"Um...no."

Guy groaned a bit from hearing these strange unfamiliar voices.

Someone gasped. "Look, he's awake!"

Guy could feel someone tapping his cheek.

"Hey, sir...wake up," A male voice whispered quietly.

Guy fluttered his eyes open while his vision was nothing but a blur. He glanced up at whoever was tapping his cheek softly and realized that there's a young teenage boy standing over him. Guy yelped and jumped back against the wall with broadened eyes. A teenage boy and a teenage girl screeched back and leaped back away from him a little bit. Guy quickly analyzed the room and realized that he's in some kind of a bedroom with blue painted walls and shelves of books hung above the wooden dresser. He soon saw that he's been laying on the mattress in front of the bed and a red curtain was parted open.

Then, he shifted his urgent focus on the teenagers who woke him up. The boy had wavy short brown hair with bangs that almost covered his brown timid eyes. He's shorter than the girl standing next to him and his light tanned-fur was spiked up a bit. The boy's red and orange striped shirt stood out in the blue-colored room. His dark blue jeans and blue sneakers glistened in the sunlight from the window beside them.

The tall girl pushed back a strand of her reddish-orange hair anxiously. Her green eyes shined in the room along with her yellow and blue striped long shirt with blue leggings. Her pale tanned fur spiked up a bit as well from screeching back at Guy.

"Ted! Is everything okay up there?!" The three of them heard someone shouting from downstairs. The boy, Ted, opened his door slightly ajar.

"We're okay, Mom! Just a minor explosive from our invention!" Ted yelled his answer back with a small reassuring smile.

"Okay! Just be careful up there!" Ted's mother responded loudly.

"We will!"

"Love you!"

"Love you too!" Ted quickly closed the door gently and shifted his attention back at Guy with a small burst of nervous laughter. "Tha-That's my mom...hehe."

The three of them were staring at each other intensely as Guy swept his gaze around the room with bewilderment.

"Okay...how did I even end up here?" Guy ignited the conversation, trying to sound calm but his heart raced in his chest faster than a normally calm person's heart would.

"Well, uh...where do I start?" Ted uttered, fidgeting with his hands anxiously to try to think of something.

"I swear we didn't kidnap you!" The girl blurted out loud.

"Audrey, not so loud...please. Mom can hear you," Ted whispered to his friend, Audrey.

Audrey covered her mouth for a moment and then dropped her hand away from her lips. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

Guy covered his nose and mouth with his hands and inhaled deeply. Then, he exhaled calmly. "Alright, let me start over. Where am I and who are you?"

"You're at my house," Ted responded quickly with a grin. "I-I'm Ted--Ted Wiggins, by the way...and this is my friend, Audrey."

Audrey waved shyly. "Hi."

"Hello. Um...name's Guy," Guy introduced himself while tipping his brown crumpled hat to both of the teenagers.

Ted nodded his head a bit. "Yeah...we, um, heard about you."

"Huh?"

Ted climbed up towards the shelves where there were books squished together nicely. "There's this banned news clipping about you that I read." He took out a piece of paper and handed it to Guy. "I got it before O'Hare banned it and took out of the libraries."

Guy received the piece of paper that had the article about the big tsunami in Floriana that was titled: " _Tsunami Flooded Floriana After the Nuclear Destruction--Supernatural Occurrences Involved?_ "

"No one got hurt luckily and you were able to stop the nuclear bombs from spreading further into the city; along with stopping the infamous crime boss...uh, I forgot his name," Ted continued on while Guy read the newspaper clipping.

"Jeckles," Guy uttered softly. "Jeckles Abbot."

"Yeah...him," Ted responded meekly. He frowned and gazed off out of his bedroom window. "They say that you're a fugitive."

Guy gazed up at Ted and Audrey, making eye-contact with them. "Why are you helping me? You both are going to be in big trouble if those hunters knew I was here. Not only you two...but your mother as well, Ted. Why are you risking your lives for an old guy you just heard about?"

Ted bit his bottom lip. "Because I saw something good in you. I don't know if anyone would agree with me but I think that what they are telling us about you is a lie. I know that I don't know you that well...but after seeing you battling and triumphing over everything...I knew that you are going to be the one who's going to make the world a better place."

Guy glanced down at the news clipping. He frowned the more he stared down at the news clipping that talked about the tsunami in Floriana, remembering that day clearly.

"But...if he's such a hero...why would they treat him like a criminal?" Audrey asked Ted with a raised brow.

"I-I don't know," Ted stuttered, rubbing his arm sadly.

"I'm not the only being hunted," Guy uttered, catching both of the teenagers' attention.

"Who else is being hunted?" Audrey inquired softly.

Guy stayed silent, thinking about all of his friends who could've been hunted right now.

~.~

In the early dusk, McWinkle, Michellee, and Chad arrived at the lone farmhouse that was surrounded by tall trees. There's a barn house out a couple of yards away from the house along with its chicken coop.

Michellee swept her gaze around the place with an arched brow. "Do we know anybody who lives here?"

"I know somebody," McWinkle uttered the answer as he knocked on the wooden door. The door was prompted open and revealing a familiar dark pink furred man.

"Ah, McWinkle, I wasn't expecting you at this time of night," The man replied with a small smile shown on his face.

"We need a safe place to hide for the night. By morning, we'll be out of your hair," McWinkle requested, causing the dark pink furred man to raise his brow and lose his smile.

"Everyone out here is trying to kill us, sir," Chad explained further, breathing heavily.

Murray paused for a moment while opening the door wider. "Not everyone."

Murray stepped aside to let the three of them in.

McWinkle tipped his hat in gratitude. "Thank you, Murray."

"Anything for a friend of mine," Murray responded, his smile returning back on his face.

Michellee nodded her head to Murray to show some kind of gratitude as she passed by him. Chad exchanged a smile back at the man as he trailed behind her and McWinkle. Murray surveyed the area outside of his farmhouse to make sure that there's nobody hiding in the shows. Once he knew that the coast was clear, he shut the door behind him.

After he closed the door, Murray turned to his guests with a welcoming smile.

"Go ahead and make yourselves at home. I haven't cooked anything--"

"It's okay, we'll find something to eat later," McWinkle interrupted and politely declined the offer Murray was about to make while sitting himself on the rocking chair near the fireplace. Michellee and Chad sat on the long couch together but they were seated on the ends instead of close to each other.

Murray chuckled softly as he took a seat on the chair across from the couch Michellee and Chad were sitting on. "I can make purple pancakes in the morning."

"Purple Pancakes?" Chad uttered, his mouth drooled a bit at the sound of purple pancakes.

"Are you sure that we should stay for breakfast? We don't want to put you in any danger," Michellee stated her concern for Murray.

"I appreciate the concern, but I can most certainly handle myself," Murray responded with a small reassuring smile on his face. "So, what's with everyone trying to kill you three?"

"I take it as you haven't seen the recent news," McWinkle replied with an arched brow.

"Do you see the TV anywhere?" Murray gestured to the living room, showing that there's no television anywhere in sight.

"Why don't you have a television?" Chad asked with curiosity taking over his tone.

Murray stared directly at Chad with a half-smile. "Well, television is full of lies, Chad. You see advertisements of products to use, you see the news about how everything is either falling apart or everything is rebuilding even when you knew and saw that everything was just the same, and you see the shows that exposed such morbid acts to create more drama. I prefer to not get so easily influenced by the screen and just live a simple life full of abundance."

Chad nodded his head in understanding. "That's completely understandable. So, uh...have you read comics?"

"What type of comics are we talking about?" Murray asked with a grin.

"Superhero comics."

"Why yes, I say my favorite one is that one superhero where he-uh-uses his mind-bending powers--"

"Magneto?"

"No, not Magneto...um...somebody else--."

"Jean Grey?"

"Yes, I believe that's her."

McWinkle rolled his eyes and got up from his rocking chair, getting bored of the conversation already. Michellee watched him exiting out of the living room into the small library near the kitchen. He noticed a deck of cards lying on the wooden table and picked it up. He instantly remembered it, as if it's an old memory that McWinkle wouldn't forget.

_Flashback: Twenty-Five years ago_

Everything was bright within the beautiful white house. Sara McWinkle made breakfast with a cheerful smile on her face while both Louis and McWinkle were playing cards. Sara watched them while quietly giggling at her husband's and her son's competitiveness against each other.

 _"Like Father, Like Son,"_ Sara thought while Louis won a victory in the game of cards.

"Yes!" Louis, as a young ten-year-old, proclaimed with his tiny fist pumped up in the air.

"Ah, man. You beat me!" McWinkle responded playfully while nudging his son's arm.

"Finally, it's about time I beat you," Louis uttered happily, earning a chuckle from McWinkle. He noticed his mother holding their breakfast and waiting with a soft smile on her face at them.

McWinkle shifted his attention to his wife and gave her an endearing grin. Sara set the food down of delicious mouth-watering green eggs and ham. The happy blue-furred family of three sat around the table to eat their breakfast while exchanging smiles and laughter of joy. Louis watched his mother and his father talking and laughing amongst themselves. McWinkle wrapped his arm around his wife, embracing her in his arms. Louis, being a young boy, covered his eyes with a child-like disgust at his parents, thinking romance was gross. McWinkle and Sara shared a tender kiss on the lips. That tender moment was cherished in McWinkle's mind.

Like a flash of lightning, that moment vanished. The sky was cloudy and grey and the rain poured down harder than what the weatherman had predicted that day. There, young Louis stood in front of the tombstone that read: _Here Lies Sara McWinkle. Beloved Wife and Mother._

The tears rolling down on his fluffy cheeks blended in perfectly within the rain. He couldn't take his eyes off of the tombstone, not caring whether he's going to get sick from being soaked in the rain. McWinkle gently ushered the people, who attended the funeral for his dead wife, back into their vehicles. He gave one last greeting to the last guest as the black cars drove off and exited out of the graveyard. McWinkle sighed sadly while turning around to witness Louis staring at his mother's grave.

McWinkle strolled up behind Louis and put a hand on his small shoulder. He noticed his young son trying to hold in his tears. He knew his son was trying to be tough but it didn't fool him. McWinkle massaged his son's shoulder and gazed at his wife's grave gloomily. Eventually, he noticed Louis clenching his tiny fists.

"I-I'm sorry, Dad," Louis sobbed, gritting his teeth to try to hold in his tears.

McWinkle widened his eyes in shock. "For what?"

"If it weren't for me, Mom wouldn't have to die...that man wouldn't have killed her--"

McWinkle immediately got down on his knees to make the same level eye-contact with his son. "No, no, it's not your fault. Don't ever think that for a second. You did what you could do at the moment. Don't ever blame yourself."

"You don't blame me...?"

McWinkle shook his head. "No. Why would I blame you? It's not your fault."

There's a pause while Louis dried his tears.

"When I fought that man...he had an advantage. Mom jumped in front of me and took the bullet for me. Don't you think th-that I could've fought better?"

"What do you mean?"

Louis frowned and stared at his father with trembling eyes. "I could've fought better...I could've--."

McWinkle embraced Louis into a warm hug despite both of their furs were soaked. He shook his head. "There's nothing you could've done that would prevent what happened to your mother."

Louis whimpered into his father's fur but it stopped suddenly. He pulled back away from his father and gazed up at him, almost like a desperate idea had come to his mind.

"What if that were to happen to you?" Louis muttered a question. "What if that man came again, would he have taken you away from me the same way he took my mother away?"

"Louis--"

"I can't lose you the same way I lost Mom--"

"You won't."

"How will you know?" Louis asked his father, causing his father to ponder for a moment.

Louis sighed a bit. "Dad...can you train me?"

"Train you?"

"I want to learn how to fight."

"Why?"

"So that I could defend myself and--" Louis silenced himself while gazing down at the grass.

"And what, son?"

Louis's tears were dried while shifting his attention back to his father. "And avenge my mother."

McWinkle widened his eyes in shock.

"I want to find whoever murdered my mother and-and--"

McWinkle put his hands on Louis's shoulders. "Louis, as much as I want the same thing...I can't put you through that."

"What if that man comes again and he hurts you...? Who's going to protect you?"

"Louis--"

"Dad...I'm the only family you got. Let me help you with this. Please," Louis begged a bit.

McWinkle lowered his gaze at his son's feet, sighing. He glanced back into his son's desperate eyes. "Alright."

_Present: Twenty-Five years later_

"McWinkle," A voice called out from behind McWinkle, snapping him out of his trance.

McWinkle immediately set the deck of cards down and turned around to see Michellee approaching him. "Hm?"

"Um...can I ask you a few questions? I didn't get a chance to ask you earlier since we've been on the run...so, now that we're relaxed for a moment, I was wondering if I could ask you some things," Michellee explained her reasons why she wanted to talk to him.

McWinkle had his arms crossed to his chest. "Well, if you're asking about this hunt down, I know that they want something from Guy by kidnapping both you and E.B--"

"Actually, I want to ask things about you," Michellee interrupted softly.

McWinkle had his eyes bulged out, not expecting to have questions about himself. However, he gave a deep sigh to himself. "What about me?"

"Well, for one...where did you learn how to fight...like that?" Michellee uttered, referring to the time where McWinkle defended Chad in the most violent way. She remembered that after the priest said something nasty about his wife and his kid, McWinkle kicked him in the head, bashing his skull in the process.

"I was part of the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S game and learned fighting skills from the agency. Any more questions?" McWinkle replied while arching a brow.

"What-What happened to your wife?"

"Someone killed her."

"Do you know who?"

McWinkle seemed hesitant to answer. "Why do you want to know so much about my personal life all of a sudden?"

"I'm just curious. That's all."

"Well...sometimes, things are best left unanswered--"

"Wouldn't you want to know who murdered your wife--?"

"The man who murdered my wife is already dead," McWinkle blurted out, getting a tad bit irritated at Michellee's persistence.

"Was he killed?"

"It doesn't matter. He's already taken care of," McWinkle grumbled a bit while staring off somewhere else.

Michellee frowned a bit while nodding her head a bit. "Look, I'm sorry about your wife. She must have meant a lot to you."

"She means the world to me; along with Louis," McWinkle uttered softly while shifting his gaze at Michellee. "Just like how your first husband meant the world to you. Now, it's your daughter and Guy."

Michellee smiled softly. "Right...How did you guys meet?"

"We've met at a strange circumstance. She's running from something and I never knew what she was running from. All I know is that I found her injured in the middle of the road and I took her to the hospital. She was scared of being in the hospital by herself--I stayed with her until she got out."

"That's a nice thing you've done for her."

"It's not just a 'nice thing' to her...it impacted her by a lot...even though I didn't understand why back then. She was told by the doctors to go into therapy and she--she seemed afraid to talk at first but...she had told them and me...that there was this group of people who would torture innocent disabled children to make them 'fit in' to whatever they want them to be. At first, I didn't believe her but---"

McWinkle paused himself while pondering about what to say next.

Michellee noticed him pausing himself. "But?"

"But I witnessed her getting shot in the shoulder and she must be desperate to run from someone--anyone really. I don't know. All I know is that I helped her and little did I know, she completely changed my life forever."

"That's a beautiful story," Michellee remarked with a small smile.

McWinkle frowned a bit. "Until Jeckles killed her...everything changed after she died."

Michellee lost her smile immediately. All the dots were beginning to connect in her brain suddenly. She arched a brow at McWinkle. "Louis...he's never a detective...is he?"

"What do you mean?" McWinkle questioned with widened eyes in shock.

"Well, I mean that he doesn't behave as normal detectives would. And isn't it coincidental that Jeckles died while being in police custody and your son was the one who made the 'arrest'?"

There's an awkward pause.

~.~

Ted, Gluntz's father, peeked through the curtains to see a group of heavy black trucks outside of the cabin in the woods.

"We're surrounded," Ted uttered the news to his wife, Nancy.

Gluntz and Louis spied through the back windows and noticed a group of trucks out there too.

"Dad's right. What are we going to do?" Gluntz muttered her question to Louis, who's pondering about what to do himself.

Louis turned to Ted and Nancy. "Do you guys happen to have a secret passage?"

Ted arched a brow. "Yes, but we're not going to leave our house. This is our land and they won't take that away from us."

"Rejoice! Your end will be spared if you cooperate with us!" A voice shouted from outside.

Nancy covered her mouth with her hands. "Ted...they had their guns ready."

Ted shifted his glance over at Louis. "We have to protect what we valued most, even if it's with our lives."

Ted quickly headed over by his wife while taking out his shotgun to fight those cultists outside.

Louis took in what Ted said. He shifted his gaze at Gluntz, who's staring out of the window and gripping tightly on the rifle leaning up against the wall next to her. He stared at her for a moment, pondering about what to do. He knew that there's only four of them against a whole army of cultists out there. Gluntz and her parents don't have enough weapons to fight back against them.

_**An idea popped into Louis's head. He knew that it's going to be risky for him and for Gluntz...as well as her parents. But he knew...he had to protect what he valued most.** _

Louis exhaled deeply and faced the opening to the secret library Gluntz's parents had. "Time to get to work."

He immediately strode into the library, putting his goggles up into his eyes that he kept hidden underneath his jacket collar. He pulled up a blue bandana to cover his mouth and nose as well as throwing his hood on over his head.

~.~

Meanwhile, Gluntz waited anxiously for the cultists to make their first move from the back of the cabin. Her heart pounded hard against her chest while she gripped tightly on the rifle that had been leaning next to her for some time. She heard footsteps walking away from her.

"Where did Louis go?" She heard her father questioned. Gluntz quickly turned her head and noticed that her partner disappeared. Ted and Nancy were staring at her with concern gazes at their daughter.

Gluntz shrugged her shoulders. "He's probably looking for a weapon and--"

As Gluntz trailed off into where Louis could've gone, there's a fight going on behind her from outside that showed a dark hooded figure taking down a group of men. Ted and Nancy had their eyes broadened when they noticed a hooded figure taking out the men.

"--I mean, Louis couldn't have gone too far--"

"Sweetie, I don't mean to interrupt but...I think he's outside," Nancy pointed behind her daughter and guessed the hooded figure's identity.

Gluntz turned around and noticed a few dead bodies of the men who were in the backyard. The bodies appeared to be recently slaughtered and left behind quickly. Before Gluntz could question further about the bodies, she heard the guns cocking from the front yard of the cabin.

"We have you completely surrounded!" The voice continued to echo from the house. "Hand over your daughter and her halfling boyfriend!"

"They're not in a relationship!" Ted yelled while pointing his shotgun out the window. But then, he turned his head to look at Gluntz. "Are you guys sure that you're not in a relationship?"

"Ted, this is not the time to ask that," Nancy whispered harshly to her husband.

Gluntz noticed a shadow figure skulking behind the army of cultists. Before she could point out the figure, a grenade was tossed under one of the vehicles. The vehicle exploded into bits with the driver and the man who manned the machine gun inside of it. When the other groups turned around with their guns pointed at somewhere else, the hooded figure revealed himself in the light of the fire.

The figure kicked the first man that had his gun up to him. The men pursued him with their battle cries but all that did was make them easier for him to take down one by one without even trying. He used one of the men as a shield for the other men to fire their machine guns at him. He charged towards the vehicle with the human shield and slid underneath the vehicle and slammed a small bomb in it. As soon as he got out from underneath the vehicle and ran a bit far from it, the vehicle blew up and tossed in the air. It crashed into the other vehicle, instantly burning it and killing off the men in the vehicles. The figure turned to face the priest, who held up a handgun at his face.

The figure gave a little chuckle as he immediately took the handgun by the hand and switched the aim on the priest. The priest had no weapons to defend himself with. The priest raised his hands up a little bit.

"Who are you?" The figure growled, glaring at the priest darkly. "What do you want from us?"

"We know who you are--"

"I didn't come here and fight all of your men just for a self-reflection," The figure interrupted with a snarl. "Who are you people and what do you want from us?"

There's a distant pause as the priest sighed deeply.

"We are mere men who listened to what the whispers told us to do. The whispers tell us everything about everyone. You are the one who murdered one of our kind. And **he** wants you."

"Who's he? Who do you work for?"

" **He** didn't give us his name. But he wants the Outsider with supernatural powers as well as his friends and family. You and the woman are one of them," The priest answered while groaning a bit in pain.

"G-Guy?"

The priest nodded his head.

"What does 'he' want from Guy?" The figure interrogated the priest.

The priest's body shook with a wry smile. "He-he has a much greater purpose in our conquest if we can persuade him."

"If?"

"Oh, what am I saying...? We-We will persuade him...one way or the other."

Before the figure could inquire further from the priest, the priest collapsed on the ground. Blood trickled down from his nose and his mouth while his eyes were left wide open. Life faded from his eyes and his body became pale like his soul left his body immediately. The priest could no longer breathe and his body was laid still on the dirt road.

The figure lowered the handgun and put it away in his jacket for safekeeping. He gazed down at the priest and knelt down on the ground to feel his pulse. He couldn't feel the priest's pulse as he sighed heavily. He hovered his hand above the dead priest's open eyes and gently close them for him.

"Hands up!" Someone familiar shouted from behind him. He slowly stood up on his feet while raising his gloved hands up. "Turn around!"

The figure slowly turned around to face Ted, Nancy, and Gluntz, who walked out of the cabin to approach him. Gluntz seemed convinced that the figure was on her side while her parents were a bit suspicious about who's underneath the hood.

Ted set his stare at the figure with his rifle pointing at him. "Show yourself." 

Ted said it in a calm manner, maybe he must have figured out who the figure was but still wanted to be sure just in case.

The figure nodded his head in obedience. He pulled down his bandana and goggles, hiding his face for a moment until he threw off the hood. Gluntz had her jaw dropped with Nancy covering her mouth in shock. But Ted didn't seem shocked.

Louis appeared to be timid about revealing himself to Gluntz's family...even to Gluntz herself. "I'm only protecting what I valued most, sir."

There's a brief pause between them with Ted smirking.

"I like him," Ted uttered as he turned to Nancy and Gluntz. "We better get the fire extinguisher before there's going to be a forest fire."

"Right," Nancy replied and headed straight into the cabin to get the fire extinguisher.

Ted lowered his gun and walked past his daughter, who seemed completely shocked and just stood there idly.

Louis slowly approached her while rubbing his arm nervously. "I-um-can explain--"

"I--I knew it!" Gluntz blurted out excitedly and unexpectedly. "I knew you're an assassin!"

"W-What?" Louis gasped, shocked that she knew about him being an assassin.

"I knew it! Man, you had no idea how many times I second-guessed myself," Gluntz replied with a laugh.

Louis arched a brow. "How in the world did you even know?"

"Oh! I kind of figure with all the advanced technology and fighting skills that you're not exactly a detective. Most detectives would be stuck behind desks and wouldn't even get out of town to solve a 'case'. However, I did learn from BADGUY college that there's some kind of facility where they trained the assassins to take down criminals and kill people if absolutely necessary. Fun fact: Most assassins who worked beside a group of people would lie about being a detective. So, when you said you're a 'detective' and you take down a lot of people, I figured that you're an assassin." She ended her sentence with a cute toothy smile.

"When did you figure it out?"

"Three months ago...but I had to second guess myself so many times because you're so good at acting. If I had to be honest, you have better acting skills than Sam," Gluntz whispered the last part with a wink and strolled back into the cabin.

Louis's cheeks burned up instantly after she walked away. His heart soared for some reason. It's almost like he couldn't stop smiling every time he looked at her. What was that feeling that's burning in his heart? It couldn't be love...could it? Maybe that's the right word to use. Louis groaned to himself for getting his head in the clouds and strode towards the cabin after Gluntz. 

_**To Be Continued.** _


	11. Episode Eleven: Goliath

_**Episode Eleven: Goliath** _

_Flashback: Twelve Years Ago:_

The heavy metal music played loudly in the background of Nooly's Bar in downtown Nool, where Goat, as a young adult, was sitting on the stool surrounded by drunk idiots. Despite being young, he appeared to be older than thirty so it's easier to lie about his age until he had to get his license. Even then, his appearance was rather deceiving. He gulped down a shot of whiskey, his throat burning from the taste. He's grown used to it by now.

Sitting next to him was a young pretty purple furred kangaroo, with dark purple bangs and appeared to be a little bit older than him. Goat noticed her round stomach that might indicate that she's pregnant as she took a sip of her plum juice.

"You go here a lot?" Goat ignited the conversation.

The kangaroo put her juice down while shifting her gaze at the goat. "Not as often as I would like to. You?"

"Eh, I travel a lot."

"I see. What's your name?"

"Goat."

"Just...Goat?"

"Yes, don't judge." Goat chuckled at the end of his sentence. "Yours?"

"Jane. Jane Kangaroo," the kangaroo said her full name while raising her glass slightly off of the wooden counter.

"That's a pretty name."

"Thank you. So...Goat? I don't think that's your full name."

"Well, I don't give my full name unless I care about somebody."

They both chuckled at each other for a moment as someone slammed their fist on the counter between Jane and Goat. Goat followed his gaze up the arm to noticed a familiar muscular kangaroo jack, who had a glare set on him.

"Trying to hook up with my wife, eh, Goat?" the kangaroo jack growled at Goat, causing Goat to glare at the jack and flick his ears in irritation. 

"We're not hooking up, Jack. We're just talking," Jane reassured her husband with a gentle growl.

"I'm not sure if Goat is just 'talking'," Jack snarled at Goat as he shifted his focus on his wife. "What are you even doing here?"

"Just getting a drink. What else do you think I'm here for?" Jane responded with her arms crossed.

"You were supposed to stay home. I can't risk you going out in the jungle alone, especially when you're in this kind of condition," Jack responded while flicking a glare at Goat, who didn't even do anything. 

Goat cleared his throat as he drank his last shot of whiskey and glared at Jack. "Look, Jack, I'm sorry I talked to your wife. We just introduced ourselves and that's it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll--."

As soon as Goat turned around to leave the couple, there was a group of four buff men glaring down at him.

Goat gave them a deadpanned stare. "Oh boy."

In the next moment, almost like the time had sped forward, Goat was thrown outside in the pouring rain in the dark alleyway, knocking down some trashcans and beer bottles that just shattered on the muddy ground next to him. Before he could get up, a fist connected to his jawline quickly. He collapsed into the mud, his fur was soaked and filthy. At the moment, he had no idea how to fight back. He tried to stand up but someone kicked him in the chest, causing him to groan in pain.

"Where's the money, Goat?!" One of the buff guys beating him growled.

Goat shot a deadly glare at them. "I don't know what the yip you're talking about!"

Another man socked him in the eye, leaving behind a black eye.

"Come on, Goat, you know you ain't stupid," The other man snarled at him.

"You right! But I ain't the one you should be asking about your yipping money!" Goat responded in a snarky tone.

The third man huffed while drawing his brows together angrily. "Alright, Goat. We could do this the easy way or the hard way."

"What's the easy way?"

"You gave us the money, we'll leave you alone."

Goat gruffed with a glare. "And if I prefer to go to the hard way?"

"Then, you would be a dumb animal."

Goat narrowed his eyes at the men. "Who are you calling dumb, amigos?"

A fist connected to his jawline, knocking him down. Goat growled as he attempted to get back up from the muddy ground. Before he could get back up from the ground, another kick slammed into his gut. He coughed out a bit of blood from his mouth as the men gathered around him and started kicking him and punching him. His vision was slowly turning blurry the more the men were beating him up. His insides had been tossed around with his brain wobbling back and forth in his head, letting his breathing be troubled. He could feel his own blood dripping out of his mouth and his deep cuts. He knew he couldn't get up and fight back.

Finally, from what felt like forever, he gasped slightly while the rain was the only thing that touched his body. He fluttered one eye open to see the group of men gathered around the kangaroo jack. He had no idea what they were saying or what they were explaining to the kangaroo jack. They scurried away as the kangaroo jack shifted his attention at him and strode towards him. Goat was trembling, glaring at the familiar kangaroo jack coming closer to him. He slowly grabbed a large piece of glass, having it ready just in case something bad was going to happen.

The jack finally approached him and knelt down to examine Goat. He cornered a smirk at him. "You should've known better than to get beat up like that, Goat."

Goat couldn't utter a smart-response back at Jack. His fear was taking over as he noticed Jack holding something behind his back.

"Here, let me help you."

Goat instantly knew what was behind Jack's back, his fear turned into rage. Why? His grip was around the large sharp glass and he used it to swipe it at the kangaroo jack, sliting his throat. Goat sat up and threw away the bloody glass. Jack collapsed on the ground next to him, breathing heavily and ragged.

Goat wanted so badly to walk away but for some reason, Jack's stare up at him kept him here in this place.

"T-That's funny," Jack stuttered, choking and coughing up his blood. "I-I was just...going to-to...put you...o-out of...your m-misery." With that said, Jack slowly took out his small letter-opening knife that could pierce into anyone's heart if not being able to defend one's self. Goat had his eyes widened but then set a glare at him.

"I would've lived without your 'help', Jack. You-You said that you have my back," Goat growled, gritting his teeth in pain and agony, his heart shattered from a sudden betrayal. "You said that you were going to help me...I trusted you and the gang. You let those men beat me up and now you-you're going to kill me...why?"

Jack laughed his head off, choking more and coughing up more blood from his mouth. "Y-You're only a puppet, Goat. Y-You're not meant to be something more in the gang...you're not meant to be anything. Not to anyone else...especially not to anyone else."

Tears of rage gushed out of Goat's eyes, hardening his glare at the kangaroo jack further.

Jack pointed at Goat, with a cruel smile cornered in his face. "Th-That's all you'll ever be, Goat...nothing more than just a stupid sheep."

Goat's rage snapped as he grabbed the small letter opener knife out of Jack's hand and plunged it into his heart with an angry cry. He saw that Jack's hand fidgeted slightly, boiling more anger inside of him. With a loud outcry and thunderstorms booming from the skies, Goat kept stabbing the kangaroo jack with tears rushing down his cheeks and his chin. Anger blinded his better judgments as blood kept splashing out of the kangaroo jack's body. He finally made his last jab into Jack's already bloody chest. Goat examined the body some more, his arms shaking.

_**Goat just realized something that just caught him off guard. He just killed...an animal. He knew he should've left Jack's body to rot in that alleyway but he just wanted to hear what Jack had to say about his betrayal. Goat remembered all the moments that Jack let him into his little gang behind his wife's back. He thought he was a part of something...like a family. Until someone stabbed him in the back, almost literally.** _

_**He just killed his boss...he just killed someone...someone who might not matter to him later but...who impacted someone else so much more than he realized.** _

His ears flicked back to hear footsteps coming out of the bar and into the alleyway.

"Hey, Jack, I thought that--AAAHHH!" 

Goat perked his head and switched his glance at Jane...who had her eyes widened in pure horror and mouth agape. He could see that she's beyond speechless for what she's witnessing.

He knew he couldn't explain what happened between him and Jack to her. He threw the letter opener knife away and rushed out of the alleyway and the violent scene, back in the shadows. He left her in utter tears, sobbing for her dead husband. He left her in deep sorrow and hurt. But he didn't stay long enough to see when something in her just snapped.

And that's when Goat knew that he had to avoid her at all costs.

_Present: Twelve Years Later:_

A purple monkey was dragging Goat's body near the shore of the lake after knocking him out. He lost sight of his tribal friends who were carrying who he was going to assume was Goat's friends.

However, before the monkey could drag Goat further into the jungle, the ground rumbled underneath the monkey's feet. He noticed a speck just floating towards the ocean with an arched brow. Then, a familiar elephant appeared out of nowhere with the pink furry flower gripped in his trunk.

"Hold on! I got ya!" The elephant shouted as he dove into the water and reached his flower for the speck to land onto it. He slowly got up to his feet with a deep sigh of relief. "Phew, I got you, I got you."

As the elephant turned around, he soon realized that he splashed some water on the monkey's purple fur.

The monkey glared at the elephant and shook the water off of his fur. "What the yip, Horton! You could've trampled me if I was in your way."

"S-Sorry," The elephant, Horton, apologized quickly. But then, he extended his trunk for the monkey to look at the speck on the flower excitedly with a childish smile. "Look! There's a whole new world in this speck!"

The monkey furrowed his brow and turned his ear up to hear something...anything really. He groaned irritably at Horton.

"You stupid elephant, there's no world in that speck!" The monkey cursed at Horton.

Horton winced while pulling his flower away from the monkey.

Suddenly, a fast blue mouse with bright blue stripes around his body rushed up to the purple monkey.

"What did you just say, punk?!" the mouse barked and scurried up on the monkey's body. Before the monkey could react fast enough, the mouse punched him in the chin, knocking him out. The monkey collapsed on the ground while the mouse landed on his feet in the dirt and pumped his fist up in victory. "Yes! That felt so good!"

"Why did you punch him?" Horton questioned with a raised brow.

"What? He's insulting you. Nobody insults my friends on my watch," the mouse responded with his arms crossed.

"Look, Morton, I found another world!" Horton replied happily, showing his mouse friend, Morton, the bright pink furred flower.

Morton scrutinized it while nodding his head hesitantly. "What is it?"

"I don't know yet. But I can't wait to find out!" Horton answered excitedly.

Morton sighed a bit while putting his fists on his hips. "Well, we better get out of here before **_she_** hears about this other world stuff."

Horton noticed Goat laying on the dirt ground. "Uh...what about him?"

"What about who?" Morton turned around and noticed Goat passed out next to him. He twitched his ears while examining the goat. "Hmm...what was the monkey doing with the goat?"

"I-I had no idea. I think we should take him in," Horton advised while holding his flower.

"Not a bad idea...but, why in the world would **she** want anything to do with a...ahem, goat? Morton questioned this...mostly to herself.

"Maybe we can ask him."

"Yeah...come on, let's get him out of here."

"Okay...hold this." Horton handed his flower to Morton as Morton received the flower gently. Horton used his trunk to lift the goat over his back while Morton, the mouse, scurried up onto the elephant's back quickly. Horton strolled through the jungle and left the knocked out monkey from where he laid.

~.~

Meanwhile, Ted Wiggins gazed out of his bedroom window at the beautiful bright hustling-bustling town called Thneedville while Audrey explaining to Guy about where he was and how they found him.

"You found me in an alleyway?" Guy questioned with an arched brow.

"Ted thought that you teleported right beside us," Audrey explained while smiling nervously.

"He did," Ted verified while pacing back and forth in his room and mapping out a plan in his head.

Guy gazed at his hands with confusion written in his face. "I-I thought that my powers were being neutralized."

"What?" Both Ted and Audrey uttered at the same time.

Guy shook his head. "Nothing."

"We got to get you out of Thneedville," Ted determined as he faced Guy with a nervous look. "You're a wanted criminal here and if the people see you--they would freak out and then we would freak out--and then my mom would be freaked out and O'Hare will try to kill you and then those Gatherers of the Whispers will try to kill you--"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. First off, who's O'Hare? Second off, The Gatherers of the Whispers...who are they?" Guy uttered while raising his finger.

"O'Hare is the mayor of Thneedville," Audrey explained quickly while nervously turning to the bedroom door to check on whether Ted's mother or anyone else would barge in the bedroom.

"The Gatherers of the Whispers corrupted him with deals of unlimited wealth and power among us. If he does what they say...and if he sees you...he will not hesitate to do whatever he's going to do," Ted added while rubbing his arm nervously.

"Those Gatherers must be those people who had been chasing us," Guy guessed to himself. "What would they want from me?"

"Probably not something good from you," Ted theorized with a shrug.

"Alright then, we need to get out of here," Guy determined as he looked to both of the teenagers. "Lead the way."

Ted nodded his head quickly. "Okay."

A knock came from the door suddenly.

"I'll get it!" Ted's mother announced loudly.

Audrey peeked at the front window, with eyes widened in pure fear. "Oh no...they're here! And...why are their fingers on the triggers?"

Guy gasped to realize what's about to happen. He immediately bolted out of Ted's room.

"Guy!" Ted called but Guy didn't listen to the young teenager as he sprinted downstairs. He heard the door creaked open and noticed a young woman, with brown afro curly hair, a pink blouse, and a dark blue skirt, opening the front door. As soon as she opened the door, she saw the guns were pointed at her.

"What the--?"

Guy tackled her away from the door as the bullets flew off of the guns. The woman, presumably Ted's mother, screamed in pure panic. The bullets tore through the two-story house, shredding the curtains and breaking fragile vases that were nothing more than just nice decorations. The pictures of the family fell off the walls and broke the wooden frames. The glasses from the front windows shattered and the plastic bushes and trees were blown up from the bullets firing through them. As the bullets continued to rumble through the house, Guy used his hand to close the front door telepathically so that the men wouldn't think about storming into the house.

While Guy was defending Ted's mother from the bullets and Ted and Audrey hid in Ted's room, the little plump old lady sat in the library and had her headphones in while blasting the song loudly in her eardrums.

_"NO MORE SORROWS!"_

As the song continued to play, the lady was knitting a sweater, completely ignoring the rippling sounds of the bullets and a woman screaming in pure panic. She hummed along with the song she's listening to as the bullets made the mark through the walls, but the bullets missed her luckily. That's when she perked her head up slightly to hear the bullets and took off her headphones.

Meanwhile, the bullets finally stopped firing. Guy stood up on his feet and spied on what those crazy men were going to do next. Ted's mother dusted herself off with a bit of an irritable groan.

"Alright, mister! Why did you break into my house?! And why are those people firing bullets at us?!" Ted's mother growled at Guy, having no idea how he ended up in her house.

"Mom!" Ted shouted as he ran downstairs with Audrey behind him.

Ted's mother immediately zoomed towards her son and his friend and spread her arms out to defend them with a hardened glare at Guy, who had no idea what's going on. "What do you want from us, huh?!"

Before Guy could utter an answer, Ted immediately charged through his mother's arms and turned back to face her, standing in front of Guy. "He means us no harm, Mom!"

"Ted, you don't know him!" Ted's mother barked, scared in her voice.

"Ms. Wiggins, he just saved your life! Doesn't that tell you that he's a good person?" Audrey pointed out.

Guy shifted his focus on the woman. "Look, I don't want to hurt anyone here. I just simply want to get out of here and go back to my friends. I'm not going to hurt you or anyone here."

Ms. Wiggins furrowed her brows at Guy. "Then, why are you a criminal?"

"I-I don't know. I haven't done anything."

"Yeah, sure. Don't play innocent--"

"He's telling the truth, dear," Someone spoke up from the kitchen. Everyone shifted their glance at the old lady, who readjusted her glasses.

"Ma, are you okay?" Ms. Wiggins checked on her mother.

"Of course, I'm alright, dear. Look, I've knitted a sweater," the old lady replied happily while showing off her beautiful purple knitted sweater.

Ms. Wiggins gave her old mother a deadpanned stare. "So, that's what you've been doing this whole time."

"Rejoice! Death is not the end!" A voice shouted from outside of the house.

Guy groaned from a headache but he shook it off. "I gotta go."

"You should be going! Otherwise, you're putting us into further danger."

"Mom...he-uh-didn't break into our house," Ted stuttered.

"What do you mean, Ted?"

"We, um, found him in the alleyway. And we, um, took him in and--"

"You what?!"

"Oh, sweetheart, you can't blame Ted. He's got a big heart just like his father," The old lady replied sweetly to her daughter.

Ms. Wiggins glowered at her mother. "Please...don't mention him."

"I think the boy oughta know the truth about his father, Lily. Whether it would be now or later," The old lady spoke up sadly as the guns cocked again from outside.

Guy took a moment to look outside and noticed the men were ready to aim and fire. He used his hands to choke the men telepathically and knocked them out. He turned back to listen to the group.

Ted gazed up at his mother with curiosity. "Mom...is there something about my Dad that I don't know about?"

Guy listened in the conversation and noticed Ted's mother gazing off sadly with a sigh. "Honey, when you're...a baby, your father broke the rules...he was helping a poor innocent criminal and invite him to our home. Your father was convinced that the man wasn't a criminal and he's not going to put us in any danger."

"Who's that man, Mom?" Ted asked, tilting his head.

"I didn't know his name...he's just a tall man--I distinctively remembered him wearing a green coat and gloves but that's about it. Anyways, the officers had our place surrounded because of the cameras and...basically, your father provided a way for that criminal to escape and then he died. As soon as the men found out that your father let the criminal go somewhere...anywhere away from Thneedville, he--he--" Ms. Wiggins sentence was interrupted by the sudden tears filling in her eyes.

Ted could understand what she was about to say and hugged his mom. "Mom...I...didn't know that."

"Of course you didn't know, sweetheart. I never told you," Ted's mother replied while rubbing her son's head and embracing him. "Now, you know."

"So...how come they would allow an innocent man to be killed because he's trying to help someone else?" Guy uttered, his tone softened.

"It's always been like this ever since I was the little girl," The old lady responded sadly. "Before all of the plastic trees and bushes, there was a time where they were real trees and bushes that would grow from seed and give fresh air to people for free."

"Are you telling me that they sell air here?" Guy almost wanted to laugh because the idea of selling air itself was preposterous.

"Yes...in fact, you can't have air without it being contained in a bottle," The old lady explained.

Ms. Wiggins chuckled at her mother softly while rolling her eyes. "Okay, Ma...we don't need to fantasize the stranger with your...fairytales."

"What?" Guy gasped while arching a brow.

"Yeah, the trees that grow from a tiny seed and...and just give air to people--that idea itself is just fantasy. That's just ridiculous," Ms.Wiggins replied with a giggle.

Guy's eyes grew wide. "Wait, wait, wait, wait...Wait! You have never seen a real-life tree before?!" 

Ms. Wiggins slowly shook her head, baffled about what Guy was asking. Ted and Audrey shook their heads too.

"We live in a dome, dear," The old lady whispered to Guy.

Guy pondered for a moment. "A...dome?"

Ms. Wiggins sighed deeply. "Don't listen to Ma, she gets in her head sometimes."

"Ah, yes, I do," The old lady replied, confusing Guy for a brief moment. "Sometimes I get into my head too much to the point where I forgot to put my teeth."

"Hold your horses, Ma. That's not what I meant--"

"Oh, now I won't be able to eat without them...do you mind getting them for me, dear?" The old lady requested kindly.

Her daughter sighed a bit. "Sure thing, Mom."

As soon as Ms. Wiggins left the room, the old lady pulled out her set of teeth from her back and then placed them in her mouth.

Guy gave her a deadpanned stare. "Huh, nice distraction."

"Okay, here's what's going on," the old lady began in a serious tone to Guy. "And Ted and Audrey need to hear this too."

Ted rubbed his arm nervously. "A-Are you sure we should stay--?"

"No, you young kids need to know what's going with the world around you and not live in a dome," The old lady determined as she focused back to Guy. "Look, trees existed...my daughter and her husband didn't know that. My grandson and his friend didn't know that. They don't teach these things at school in Thneedville."

"Why not?" Guy inquired while tilting his head.

"Because Thneedville is...like a utopia. Where everything was bright and beautiful and perfect. Of course, it took decades to get to where it is today but apparently, Thneedville was basically the whole world," The old lady explained to Guy.

"But, Ted said he's going to get me out of Thneedville--"

"I-I meant out of my house," Ted stuttered a bit.

Guy shot a withering glare at Ted. "Maybe you should've made that more clear next time you're telling someone that you're going to get them out of someplace."

"I knew that we're trapped here somewhat," Audrey muttered mostly to herself.

"How do I get out of Thneedville?" Guy asked the old lady.

The old lady cornered a smirk on her face and gestured Guy to follow her. Guy nodded his head slightly in understanding and followed the old lady into the library where she was found knitting and listening to music. She lifted the passageway from the ground slightly and struggling to get it all the way open. Guy used his telepathic powers to help her open the door all the way.

The old lady stretched her back with a grunt. "It's getting harder and harder to open these when you're getting old."

"I can understand that, Ma'am--"

"Please, call me, Nora," the old lady, Nora, replied with a small smile.

"Nora...I'm Guy--"

"I know who you are. There's no need for your introduction. This is the secret passageway if you ever want to get out of Thneedville undetected."

"Thank you."

Nora smiled a bit. "You know, I was hoping someone like you would come to Thneedville."

"W-What do you mean?"

Nora frowned at the thought while staring down at the passageway but then gave a light smile. "Once I found one of Ted's 'banned' news article about you...I couldn't believe that you have the power and the strength to stop the world from--burning up."

Guy lost his smile and pondered about his family in Stovepipe Junction...how he could've wakened up from the awful dream and saved everyone but couldn't because...he didn't know the reason anymore.

Nora noticed Guy's frown and tilted her head a bit. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's fine...it's just that--I-I'm not the Savior...I just want to get that across to the people who think I'm some kind of a hero. I-I'm just an ordinary guy who invents and dreams of success and family. Who makes mistakes and fails at stuff. That's all for me...I'm nothing special...even with these powers...but for some reason, I was hunted, tortured, nightmares came to me every night without hesitation, and I'm scared that one day...something bad is going to happen and I'm going to end up hurting one of my friends...one of my family members. And...I felt nothing but pressure for when every time a life is in danger or if I didn't save everyone...then, that would be on me," Guy vented to Nora, his hands trembling.

Nora pondered for a moment about what Guy was telling her and sighed. "You know, you can't save everyone. That's the sad truth that heroes like you have to face. You'll be able to save most of the lives but not all of them. But...the weight of the world shouldn't just be on your shoulders. That weight is too heavy to carry all by yourself. Sometimes, your battles can be won by yourself, and sometimes, your battles can be won by others around you. But...where there's a victory...there's also great loss. I've lost my son-in-law from those men who came here today. Not only it had impacted me...but it greatly impacted my daughter...who had to witness it. And poor Ted...he never knew his father."

There's a brief pause as both Guy and Nora sat on the edge and stared down at the secret underground passageway, deep in thought.

"That's-That's where I knew that things have to change...they just have to," Nora continued with a sad sigh. She shifted her attention to Guy with a soft smile. "If I had to be honest, I was hoping someone like you would come along. I mean, to help us change for the better. To take down corruption in this city and exposed the truth. But...I don't know how we're going do that if everyone here in Thneedville is too under the influence to think there's nothing flawed with it."

Guy silenced himself while staring into the deep dark space in the passageway.

Nora stood up on her feet. "Well, I better make sure that my daughter isn't back yet with my 'teeth'. You do what you want, Guy. Go back to your friends...but don't forget about us...please."

Guy gazed up at her as she sauntered out of the library gloomily. He exhaled deeply and then glanced back at the empty passageway.

_**Part of Guy wanted to go back to his friends just to tell them that he's okay. But there's another part of him that just realized that this was more than just a hunt down. Those people coming after him are also torturing and killing innocent people whose heart was just golden enough to help those in need. Ted and Audrey helped him unexpectedly along with Ted's grandmother, Nora. That family, in particular, saved his life from those freaks...he-he couldn't just leave them when he knows deep down that there will be more men coming after him. That's where Guy made his decision.** _

~.~

Oncelor warily led the Lorax, Grinch, Max, Dave, Jeffrey, Cat, Gabriella, and Sam through the decayed Truffala Tree forest where the crows croaked a broken melody. Karlos's fishbowl was placed on top of Cat's flimsy hat as Karlos swam around the fishbowl anxiously.

"Are we still sure we had to go to that 'forbidden' place?" Karlos uttered while looking at the Oncelor from his fishbowl. "And what's so bad about that place anyway?"

"This place is full of dictators, greed, and, worst of all, corruption," Oncelor cautioned as he squinted through the desolate fog to see where he's going.

Grinch groaned a bit while smiling sarcastically. "Great, more corruption. How are we going to find Guy through this city?"

"I know a secret way we can enter the city without being spotted," Oncelor advised and shifted his glance over his shoulder at the Grinch.

Lorax raised his yellow bushy brow. "Um...how?"

"Well, a man once showed me the way out of Thneedville," Oncelor replied with a sigh. "He's a good man."

"Why are they after you?" Sam questioned the Oncelor. "Like the cultists or the police of that place?"

Oncelor stopped dead in his tracks, causing the group to stop with him. "Do you know the phrase, 'Out with the old, in with the new'?"

Sam nodded his head slightly.

"Well," the Oncelor continued. "A long time ago, I was a big hit. I'm pretty sure the Lorax remembered."

The Lorax gazed off sadly, his face darkened to remember those memories.

"A big hit, huh? In what way?" Cat asked, interested in the conversation.

Oncelor sighed deeply. "I sell Thneeds and making little scarfs out of them. The people loved it...so I make more and more of them...until--until there was no more Thneed."

"Where did you get the Thneed from?" Jeffrey probed, arching a brow.

"Look around you. Do you see all those trees chopped down? That's where I got the Thneed from...and that's where Thneedville is born," Oncelor responded while gesturing at their surroundings. "O'Hare found a way to sell air without the need for trees and...well, I'm the old...and he's the new."

The Lorax spotted a dreary dome ahead of them. "This is it."

Everyone gazed up at the dome, their eyes broadened with surprise.

Grinch gasped lightly with his mouth open agape. "Oh my gosh."

"So...why a dome?" Dave muttered the question to himself.

"It's supposed to be a utopia," Oncelor answered the question. "That's how they trap people in Thneedville; including Guy."

"How do we get him out?" Karlos asked logically.

Oncelor cornered a small smile. "A man once saved my life and helped me get out of the city through the tunnel. Although, I had no idea how long he lived after I left. I hope he's still out there."

Oncelor frowned after the last sentence, which the Lorax noticed quickly.

"Well, we don't want to put anyone in danger if the city is that strict about saving people's lives," Gabriella indicated, pondering about the lives of others in Thneedville.

"But we have to get Guy out...we'll be lucky if the tunnels led us straight to him," Cat responded with a short chuckle.

"Hopefully." Oncelor sighed and gazed at the dome, more determined this time to go back in.

~.~

More black vehicles pulled up to the Wiggins Residence and more men with black suits had their guns aimed at the house. The men, who were laying on the concrete in front of the house, barely gain their consciousness before they got up from the ground and stood behind the men with guns readied. The only unarmed was a brown-furred priest with a familiar evil circular symbol that had the two snakes crossing each other over like an X hung around his neck like a necklace.

The priest took out a megaphone and cleared his throat. "Surrender yourselves and the Outsider and no further harm will come to you! Surrender yourselves or more damage will come to your home! Surrender...for the whispers will spare those who bow!"

Ms. Wiggins immediately had her hands up. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

She stumbled out while her legs wobbled with fear from facing the men with guns. "This is just a misunderstanding--"

"Tell your family to come out too! Along with that Outsider!" The priest ordered harshly at the woman.

Ms. Wiggins turned to the doorway to see her son, Ted, and his friend, Audrey, walking out of the house slowly with their hands raised. Nora trailed behind the kids with her hands up.

"Where's the Outsider?!" The priest interrogated, his voice booming from the megaphone. The guns cocked and aimed at the Wiggins family, their glares set on the family without care if they even had a life.

"What was that you said?" Nora answered, pretending she's having a hard time hearing. "What Outsider?"

The priest flicked his wrist and pointed at the house for one of the men to search. The buff man immediately strode into the house with a couple of other men behind him. The family could tell that they searched through every room by hearing the crashing sounds and the furniture getting turned over for the sake of search.

Ted noticed his mother's lips trembling, appearing like she's silently praying for something. Anything, really. And he wouldn't blame her. Ted reached out to hold his mother's hand but a grunt from the man in front of him stopped him.

"Stay still, boy," The man growled at Ted.

Ted slowly retracted his hand back and stood still. The men who searched the Wiggins's house stormed out of the front door.

"The Outsider escaped!" One of the men barked at the priest.

The priest nodded his head as he noticed that civilians gathered around them with shocked looks on their faces while murmuring incoherent whispers that neither the family nor the men of the cult couldn't hear.

"Rejoice! Death is not the end!" The priest shouted through the megaphone. "But, as for this family, they have acted against the whispers and you all! They have kept a dangerous Outsider with them as a weapon to use against everyone here! The Wiggins family has been charged with the act of treason and defiance against the laws!"

The priest turned to the Wiggins family. "How do you plead?!"

"Audrey," A desperate woman's voice sounded from the sidelines. Audrey glanced over to notice a woman with orange long hair just like hers and worried green eyes.

"I'll be okay, Mom," Audrey mouthed to her mother but her mother seemed scared and desperate.

She noticed her father, with brown hair and mustache, approaching behind her and his eyes widening.

Ms. Wiggins couldn't utter anything, her whole body trembling. Ted and Audrey stayed silent, too nervous about what to say in response to this. However, Nora didn't seem nervous.

"Not...Guilty!" Nora shouted at the top of her lungs. "We had no idea which Outsider you're talking about because all of us here are Outsiders!"

There's a tensed silence until Audrey's mother and father strode through the crowd.

"Audrey!" Her mother called by a citizen held her back from getting to her daughter for her own safety.

"Don't shoot them!" Her father shouted at the men. "She just got mixed up with the wrong crowd--let her go!" Another civilian held her father back and away from her.

"What should we do with the girl? The parents seemed awfully concern about her" One of the men asked the priest with a whisper.

The priest leaned in to whisper to the man. "Shoot them. Shoot them all...even the girl. People will learn to obey through violence."

The guns were raised high.

"Ready!"

A gasp escaped from Ms. Wiggins's lips as the guns aimed at her and her family.

"Aim!"

Ted and Audrey shielded themselves with closed eyes, even though they knew they were going to get openly shot. Nora breathed in and out calmly and watched the men's fingers on the triggers.

"No, NO!" Audrey's parents shouted in the background, tears stained on their faces.

"NO, AUDREY!" Her mother shouted from the crowd, louder than the men counting down their death sentences.

"FIRE!"

The triggers were pulled and the bullets spiraled straight towards the family. However, something interfered with their pursuit. The bullets crashed against the invisible wall right in front of the family and dropped on the ground like it hit something hard.

Everyone froze in position with pure shock. A few sighs of relief were made and more murmuring from the citizens grew louder. The family and the men heard footsteps coming from the house. They all turned and noticed Guy striding out of the house with brows narrowed and a determined glare hardened.

"Don't you touch them," Guy growled with furrowed brows. He stood in front of the family and spread his arms wide. "If you want to take me, take me! Leave them alone! Let them go back to their daily normal lives and take me! I'm not scared of you!"

"A bold thing to say," The priest uttered, simply impressed by Guy's surrender. "Do you wish to surrender yourself for the sake of this family that you did not know?"

Guy nodded his head sternly.

"And you're not going to put up a fight?"

Guy gazed back at the family softly, noticing that their mouths were dropped open and their eyes enlarged in shock.

Guy breathed in and was ready to answer. "N-"

"If he's not going to put up a fight, then I will!" Guy heard a familiar voice coming from the house. Guy and the family switched their gaze to notice Sam striding out of the house with a glare at the men.

"Sam?" Guy gasped, his chest heaved.

Sam glared at the men ahead of him, ignoring Guy's call. "You have to get through me if you want to take my briefcase buddy!"

"Sam--no-!" Guy whispered harshly to Sam.

Sam briefly gazed at Guy softly with a reassuring smile that he's going to be okay.

The priest cackled at Sam's determination. "Such big words for a short little man. Shoot him!"

"No!" Guy cried out as he tackled Sam out of the aim.

The priest smirked and gestured the men to turn their guns towards the family.

The guns fired the bullets but again, something interfered with it. A red-striped hat flew into the scene and, as soon as it landed, a bulletproof metal wall sprung up behind the hat to defend the family from incoming bullets. Guy breathed heavily while clutching tightly to Sam.

"Sam, what are you thinking?" Guy whispered harshly to Sam.

"It's okay, buddy, I'm not alone," Sam reassured back as he referred to someone coming up behind them.

Guy glanced up behind them to notice Cat walking into the scene with a shotgun pointed at the men, recovering his hat and put Karlos's fishbowl back on top of it.

Cat slowly looked down at Guy with a toothy smirk. "Hey, Guy. Didn't think we're coming?"

"Everyone's worried sick about you!" Karlos scolded like a father telling his child the consequences of his actions.

"Don't worry, Marlin, we'll get on his case about it later," Cat responded to Karlos's scolding with a smile and a wink.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? My name is Karlos," Karlos groaned deeply in irritation.

Guy shifted his attention to the house and saw Lorax, Gabriella, Grinch, Dave, Jeffrey, Max, and the Oncelor walking out with their weapons ready.

Everyone gasped once the Oncelor trailed out behind the group. The guns were aimed at them as they stood in front of the family.

Oncelor gazed at everyone's faces, shocked that he even resurfaced back to civilian life. The Lorax glared up at the men.

"This needs to end, now!" Lorax shouted firmly. "You have done enough damage as there is, now leave before more chaos will come!"

"You think you can give us orders, peanut!" The priest insulted the Lorax.

"What did you just call me?!" the Lorax barked as Oncelor held him back from about to fight.

Oncelor glared at the priest. "I would listen to the Lorax's warning if I were you! His warnings can have a massive effect on yourselves!"

The priest guffawed at Oncelor's caution. One of the men brought out a bazooka from the truck and aimed at everyone. "Any last words before you'll be blown to smithereens?!"

Guy noticed the group of people and gazed up at the sky...only, it wasn't a real sky. It's a painted blue sky that seemed to surround the city of Thneedville. An idea popped into his head. He stood up and stepped in front of his group, who looked confused about what he's going to do.

"Go ahead! Shoot!" That's all you're ever good at!" Guy yelled, glaring at them.

Lorax shifted his eyes up at Guy. "Um...Guy, what are you doing?"

The priest cornered a grin. "Shoot."

The man with the bazooka pulled the trigger. The missile flew towards the group as Guy flicked out his hand. He used his mind and his hand to raise the missile straight up above them. The cult of men gasped while the missile flew up in the air.

The Lorax's pupils shrunk in shock. "Oh boy."

Ms. Wiggins raised her brow. "Well...that was pointless."

The missile immediately crashed into the 'sky' and broke through the metal ceiling. Everyone gasped heavily and murmured their 'Oh my's and 'What the--'.

Oncelor squinted his eyes to notice the ceiling above the beautiful town of Thneedville began to fall and destroying the town.

Cat calculated how many people in the Thneedville and raised his hat to throw it up in the air to form a brick firm roof over the Wiggin's house and the yards of it. "Everyone! Take cover in here!"

Lorax nodded his head quickly in agreement. "Take cover! Now!"

Everyone moved slowly towards the brick roof that hovered over the house and the yards of the house. Sam and Gabriella helped Cat, Guy, Lorax, Karlos, and Oncelor ushered the citizens in the bricked rooftop while Grinch, Max, Dave, and Jeffrey searched for any other citizens out there besides the ones gathered around them.

Meanwhile, a short man with short black hair in a weird haircut noticed his ceiling collapsing from the top floor of his headquarters with a gasp.

"No, No!" The man shouted as he ran out of his headquarters before the debris would crash into the building he's in.

Dave and Jeffrey helped the citizens through the collision while Max sniffed out the remaining citizens who might be trapped under the debris from the aftermath. Grinch noticed a little girl crying without her parents around from underneath the debris. He lifted the debris up and extended his hand out to the little girl.

"Grab on, little one!" Grinch shouted with care in his tone. The little girl grabbed his arm, accidentally dropping the small doll that must've had some significance to her.

"Dolly!" the little girl cried with tears in her eyes.

Max dug underneath the debris with a small bark and fetched her small brown hair doll. As soon as the brown dog got out from underneath the debris, Grinch dropped it and picked Max up to sprint away from the incoming crash of the other debris.

Cat kept extending the brick roofing over to three houses, which should be large enough to fit everyone in. Dave and Jeffrey brought the remaining citizens into safety.

"That should be all of them!" Dave shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Wait, where's Grinch and Max?!" Karlos questioned loudly. The group glanced back to notice Grinch sprinting with a child in one arm and Max on the other. Guy immediately saw huge debris about to fall on top of them as he used his hands and mind to hold it up. The Grinch sprinted through, as pieces of wood and cement began to sprinkle over him. He dodged it all and pursued towards safety. Eventually, the ground quaked underneath his feet and caused him to stumble. Before any debris could fall on top of him, Max, and the little girl, Cat got out a long hook and let it snatch the Grinch by the ankle. He pulled the green-furred Grinch into safety and helped him up on his feet, shielding him, the dog, and the little girl from the ashes and dirt sprouting at everyone's faces.

The priest and the men glared at Guy with anger boiling in their pupils and raised their guns.

"You must accept your fate, Guy! You must accept your--!" Debris dropped on top of the priest and his men, killing the men off instantly.

Guy closed his eyes tightly while holding his hands out to defend everyone from the dust flowing through the city.

~.~

Meanwhile, from a distance in the evening, a collision was heard from outside of the farmhouse. McWinkle and Michellee heard it along with Chad and Murray, the dark pink-furred Knox. Everyone strode outside and explored the field. Surprisingly, from Murray's house, you could see the destroyed Truffala Tree forest from one corner of the hill and the Jungle of Nool on the other. However, the focus was set on the Truffala Tree forest. They noticed something coming down, creating a cloud of dust in the air.

McWinkle, Michellee, and Chad had their eyes widened while Murray frowned and hardened his gaze at it.

"Oh, my Seuss! What's happening over there?!" Chad shouted, panicked that something collapsing was right nearby them.

"Thneedville's dome is coming down," McWinkle uttered, completely shocked by the site.

Michellee gazed at him, knowing that he must've known something about whatever was going on. She shifted her focus back on the horizon with a worried look on her face. "Are the people going to be okay in there?"

There's a brief silence among them as Murray sighed deeply. "Ignorance is bliss...but, we all can't stay ignorant forever, can we?"

McWinkle perked his head and shifted his gaze at Murray, who stared at him back. They both share a brief moment of silence and stern gazes at each other before Murray ambled away from the group and back to his house. McWinkle followed Murray with his gaze before turning back to the sight, still not comprehending what just happened as the helicopters flew overhead and towards the collision happening in the distance.

~.~

Louis and Gluntz were getting ready to head out of her parent's house with a few hugs from Gluntz's mother and father.

"Are you sure you guys don't need our help?" Gluntz's father, Ted, asked with concern in his tone.

Gluntz nodded her head in reassurance. "We'll be fine on our own."

"Besides, we know where Snerz is hiding," Louis said this while holding up two invitations to the host party at the castle not far from the Jungle of Nool...hosted by someone unknown but the guests were including on the list; including Snerz.

"Where did you get that?" Gluntz gasped in shock.

"I looted one of the bodies out there while taking them out," Louis responded with a soft smirk.

Gluntz giggled at Louis's response, earning a small smile from him.

Gluntz's mother, Nancy, noticed something broadcasting on the news. Something shocking.

"Guys...what is Thneedville?" Nancy uttered as Gluntz, Louis, and Ted shifted their attention the news broadcasting. The news showed the dome collapsing, destroying the city within it. Their eyes broadened as the news anchorman explained the situation.

"An unknown explosion caused the collision of this Thneedville where we once thought that it's nothing but a simple fantasy for children," The anchorman replied in a booming voice. "What's the source of the explosion? Was it from faulty wiring in the dome or was it a simple courtesy call from something supernatural?"

"Something supernatural?" Ted questioned with a raised brow. "What are they talking about?"

Gluntz and Louis gave each other brief glances and then gazed at the news further to notice the brick rooftop covering three houses. They noticed a familiar orange Knox standing out there for a quick minute to check out the surroundings.

"Guy," Both Louis and Gluntz uttered simultaneously.

~.~

Meanwhile, back at Thneedville, the collision finally stopped and Guy noticed that the choppers were flying over them, filming everything that happened unexpectedly. How did they get here? That's a question saved for another time. As soon as the helicopters passed them, the citizens came out of their hiding place, horrified by the destruction around them. However, Nora laughed a little to herself.

"You did it," Nora uttered to Guy excitedly.

Ms. Wiggins covered her agape mouth in pure shock. "So...we were living under the dome."

Everyone in Thneedville slowly migrated towards the edge of the city and the decayed Truffala Tree forest. When they finally reached the forest, their eyes filled with shock and confusion on their confusion. Their murmurs were getting louder and louder with questions like 'What just happened?' and 'How long was it like this?'. Guy, Oncelor, Dave, Jeffrey, Nora, Sam, Gabriella, Max, Grinch, Cat, and Karlos strolled ahead of the group. The people suddenly noticed the short man stumbling out of the collision, his face dirty and bloody from the collision.

"You!" The man pointed his finger accusingly at Guy. "What have you done?! You destroyed the perfect Utopia!"

"O'Hare?" Oncelor recognized the short man softly.

"Of course, it's me!" O'Hare barked at Oncelor, causing him to wince a little. He then shifted his glare at Guy. "You just destroyed everyone's homes, ruined the paradise that it once was, and now you toppled down the city all in one day! Now, everyone out there knew we existed because of you! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Guy silenced himself for a moment, trying to think of something to say.

"You know what, they're right about you!" O'Hare growled at Guy. "You're nothing but a dangerous being! Your little friends should've let you surrender to those Gatherers of the Whispers! Heh, those kids should've left you in that alleyway! Now, because of them, you're here and you've destroyed everything! I hope you're proud of yourself!" 

O'Hare shifted at all the citizens of Thneedville. "Everyone, look at what he took from you! Don't you want it back?! Well, now, you can't have it back because of him! If it weren't for him--!"

"We wouldn't have known," Ted interrupted O'Hare's sentence, slightly muttering to himself.

Everyone turned to Ted Wiggins, who just spoke up.

O'Hare cleaned his ear out. "I'm sorry, kid, I didn't hear what you said."

"I-I said that we wouldn't have known that there's so much more out there than Thneedville," Ted stuttered at first as his tone progressed louder when he stepped between Guy and O'Hare.

O'Hare chuckled. "Oh, kid, why would you care--?"

"You lied to us, O'Hare!" Ted shouted at O'Hare, almost angrily.

"No, I didn't. You're just delusional--"

"Let my son speak!" Ms. Wiggins barked at O'Hare while gazing softly at her son. "Go ahead, Ted."

Ted cleared his throat and faced everyone from Thneedville. "He lied to us this whole time! He said that there's nothing out there but just Thneedville! He influenced our schools to teach us that there's nothing else more perfect than Thneedville! But we didn't see that it had flaws! Both government and law wise! He let those Gatherers of the Whispers kill my father, scarring my own mother for life! I was a baby when it happened!"

Oncelor frowned at the thought of that man he once knew, now he's dead.

Ted continued on, tears streaming on his face with fury."Why?! My father just saved an innocent man's life from those cultists!"

"Your father was a criminal--!"

"Shut up and let my grandson speak, you mouthbreather!" Nora shouted aggressively at O'Hare for interrupting. She then softly gaze at her grandson and ushered him to continue.

Ted turned back to the citizens while inferring to Guy. "My father was a man with a big heart! Thanks to him, an innocent man was saved! I don't know who he was or anything, but I knew he's safe out there--away from Thneedville!"

"You know, you're not taking in the account that your home just got destroyed--"

"It's a lie from you, Mr. O'Hare!" Ted shouted, glaring back at O'Hare. "You knew that there's something more out there than that dome! And you're so determined to blind us from that truth! You can't lie to us anymore, O'Hare! You can't lie to us anymore!"

Ted shifted his gaze at the citizens again with sternness. "For years, I never knew there were real trees! I never knew that there's smog in the air! All my life, I never knew that there's something beyond the walls! When Guy showed up, I didn't know what to expect! I didn't know how he teleported himself here! But I saw some banned news clippings of him being the hero and yet, everyone here treated him like he's a criminal!"

"Because he is--!"

"If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have known that there's something beyond those walls O'Hare built! If it wasn't for Guy, we would've stayed blind to the fact that there's a whole new world beyond Thneedville." Ted's voice became softer as he glanced at Guy, who seemed shocked that he's standing up for him. "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have seen the flaws of Thneedville."

Guy noticed eyes on him as he nervously smiled at them. Sam and Gabriella beamed at the fact that they have someone on their side. Cat and Grinch nodded their heads approvingly at Ted's speech while Max stuck his tongue out and wagged his tail happily. Karlos watched intensely, feeling the power from the speech. Dave and Jeffrey stood alongside Guy while Dave gave Guy the noogie on the head with a playful giggle. Lorax held out his hand and felt a tiny seed that he could give to the Oncelor. Oncelor noticed Lorax putting the tiny seed in his green gloved hand. Lorax gave a firm nod to do whatever the Oncelor decided to do.

Ted shifted his attention out back to the audience. "Guys, we've been shut out from the world for years. And now look what it became...the trees were all gone because of--"

"Me," Oncelor admitted, causing everyone to switched their gaze at him. "The trees were gone because I was selling their tuft for Thneed. That's why Thneedville was born. I grew my business too much to the point where it destroyed the environment. For years, I was isolated, alone, and guilty for all the things I've done. How many people I drove away from my life. How many people I left behind. All because of my greed."

Oncelor gazed at Ted with a soft smile. "Ted, your father was one of the greatest human beings I've ever met."

Ted widened his eyes in shock about the mention of his father as the Oncelor continued, "He helped me when no one else would...I'm sorry to hear that your father passed away. I wished there's more I could've done to help him. But...the past is the past. That's one of the things I've got to learn by now."

Oncelor held the seed tightly in his hand and walked over to Ted Wiggins. "You know, when the Lorax left me behind in isolation there's one word that always stuck out to me. He wrote it and it...it just boggles my mind for a long while. 'Unless'...I've stared at that word for years. After the years of isolation, darkness, and sorrow, I think I finally know what it means."

Oncelor knelt down to reach about Ted's height on one knee and grabbed the teenager's wrist gently. He placed something in Ted's hand while gazing into his eyes softly. "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

Oncelor took his hands away from Ted's, revealing a small tiny seed in the teenager's palm. Ted's smile was widened and brightened, eager to plant the seed.

Oncelor cocked his head to the side gently to give the 'go-ahead'. Ted began to explore around the decayed Truffala tree forest with Audrey following him.

Cat got out a shovel and watering can from his hat. "Hey, guys!"

Ted and Audrey turned around while Cat handed Ted the shovel and Audrey the watering can.

"You might want to use these," Cat uttered with a genuine bright grin.

"Thank you," Ted gratified as he led Audrey towards someplace safe to plant the special seed in his grasp.

Cat had his hat taken off, gazing off into the horizon. However, something just instantly reminded him about the times he would've had if Thing One and Thing Two were here with him. Tears leaked out of his eyes as Gabriella stood alongside her adopted father.

She held his hand to comfort him. Before Cat could put the hat back on, Gabriella wouldn't let him.

"You don't have to hide your emotions, Dad," Gabriella uttered softly. "It's going to get better."

Cat squeezed her hand tightly, no longer trying to hide his emotions. "You know...Thing One and Thing Two wanted to have their own garden to take care of...of course...they couldn't because they like to make messes...just seeing those two planting a seed out there just reminded me of them...that's all."

"I'm sure that they're in a better place."

Cat burst into tears as Gabriella hugged him tightly. Sam and Grinch saw this while Grinch was taking notes in his small notebook.

Sam flicked a glare up at the Grinch, who noticed it and put his notebook away.

"What? I'm just taking notes," Grinch replied with a shrug.

Sam rolled his eyes at the Grinch as the Grinch put his notes aside. Guy watched the tender scene between Cat and Gabriella, smiling warmly. He turned to the citizens of Thneedville and noticed something odd.

There were some people, including Ms. Wiggins, Nora, and Audrey's parents, following Ted and Audrey out in the decayed forest while there were others who decided to go back into their once 'perfect' town, despite the dome crashing down and destroying everything they owned. Guy thought it strange that after being exposed to the world beyond them, they would explore the world that was right in front of them.

Guy swept his gaze around the destroyed town, his heart sinking about the homes that were destroyed except for three houses. He could guess that O'Hare was right in some points, he took away everyone's home...now, where could they go? Guy knew it should happen but he didn't think through the consequences of his actions. Before he could shake those thoughts away, he noticed someone crawling out of the debris. It was that priest! He drew his brows together with an angry growl and strode back into Thneedville.

Lorax and Sam noticed Guy walking off back in Thneedville and towards the priest. Sam was about to follow after Guy, but Lorax stopped him and shook his head gently. Sam had no idea why the Lorax would tell him not to follow Guy but he obeyed a bit hesitantly. Lorax then trailed after Guy into Thneedville, just for precaution.

The priest crawled out of the debris, with a broken leg and his face covered in dirt and cuts that bled slightly. Before he could see what's ahead of him, Guy grabbed him by the collar of his torn shirt and pinned him up against the firm wall of a ruined building.

"I just about had it with you people chasing after me and my friends! Let alone killing innocent lives just to get to me!" Guy snarled at the priest, his teeth clenched and his grip around the priest's collar tightened. "What do you want from me?! Why do you even want me?! What is this fate you keep proclaiming for me, huh?!"

The priest cornered a bloody smirk on his dirty face. "You keep questioning us even though those visions gave you answers."

Guy had his eyes bulged out with a sharp gasp.

"Yeah, we know about your little nightmares. That's why we're able to find you in every little location you tried to hide in. So, there's no point in hiding anymore," The priest responded with a sly tone. "You were supposed to be on our side. But for some reason, you're too defiant to accept your newfound powers and downgrade it as if it's nothing. Well, it's a good thing Jeckles left some parts of his powers in you. Otherwise, we wouldn't have found a way to continue with **_his_** plans."

Guy immediately have a flashback of when he was fighting with Jeckles. He remembered fighting with that mad man...when did he give him those cursed powers? But then...he instantly remembered. He had his hand extended out towards Jeckles, the same hand that had been trembling for the past three months. His heart was in the right place but Jeckles saw this as an opportunity. As soon as Jeckles grabbed his hand...something just flowed in him in an instant.

That's when Guy widened his eyes with a gasp. His hand trembled from remembering the past, letting go of the priest. The priest dropped to the ground as Guy stumbled back.

The priest recovered his head from twitching a bit. "I've said too much."

Guy shifted his withering glare at the priest. "What are you talking about?! Who's **_he_** that you mentioned of?!"

The priest crawled over to Guy and shuffled his hand in his coat pocket. He snatched Guy's wrist, causing Guy to jump a bit until he placed something in his hand.

"The answer is in Nool," The priest uttered while his body was twitching. He left a small note that appeared to be a passage in Guy's hand. Before Guy could read the passage, he watched as the priest suffocating out of the blue. The Lorax showed up in the scene and stared sadly at the suffering priest, who's coughing out bits of blood and twitching his head. Guy watched in horror as the Lorax ambled towards the priest and pinched his temples. He pulled out wiring that was stuck around the priest's head. 

The priest stopped suffering, but his breathing was slowing down. He felt his heartbeat decreasing while staring up at Guy and Lorax with fear in his pale eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry...I-I don't want to die," the priest muttered, tears streaming down on his face.

Lorax looked at the wiring for a moment and then shifted his focus back on the priest. He patted his head gently. "Rest easy. It'll be okay."

The priest gave one last final breath and then his eyes stared off somewhere. Lorax hovered his hand over the priest's eyes and closed them, letting him sleep in peace. He turned around to face Guy, who's just staring at the riddle and then back at him.

"What did he gave you?" Lorax asked gently.

Guy gazed back at the passage, in which read:

_"The darkness swallows one hole._

_The Light scares the living things within the walls._

_Yet something was hidden in the dark chambers._

_Secrets were revealed but never outside._

_There the whispers will screech._

_Till you hold the Oracle in its slumber."_

Guy had no idea what the passage meant but he knew where he must go next. "I know where to go next." 

~.~

_"Is he awake?"_

_"Not now...why does he have an ear-piercing?"_

_"Oh, now you're policing him?"_

_"No, I'm just asking because I thought goats don't get piercings."_

Goat groaned while trying to flutter his eyes open.

"Oh, he's awake now," A voice spoke up.

Goat slowly opened his heavy eyelids with his vision blurry. He noticed a small blue figure and a giant gray figure hovering over him.

"Hey, are you awake?" The blue figure replied as Goat felt something poking at his cheek.

Goat's vision suddenly cleared when he noticed a mouse and an elephant standing over him. Goat had his eyes bulged out when he realized that he's in a jungle and near a cliff. There's a cave behind the elephant but it's dark and hollow.

"AAH!" Goat screeched and smacked the mouse away from him. The mouse yelped as he flew back from the goat, with the elephant catching him with his trunk. The mouse held onto the elephant's trunk while scurrying towards the top of his head and perched up there with flicked ears in irritation.

"We swear that we did not kidnap you!" The elephant proclaimed with urgency in his tone.

"Why are you wearing an ear-piercing?" the mouse asked with curiosity in his tone.

The elephant gazed up at the mouse on top of his head sternly. "Why was that your first question?"

"What? I'm trying to get it out of the way," the mouse responded with a reasonable shrug.

Goat breathed in and out rapidly and then he calmed his nerves, figuring that the elephant and the mouse wouldn't harm him...yet. He noticed that there's a large leaf bandage wrapped around his forearm where the Biologist cut him, so he didn't think they wouldn't be harmless. "Because I want to have it. Any other questions?"

The elephant shook his head vigorously. "Oh no, no, no! We, uh, come in peace. Uh, my name is Horton." Horton, the elephant, extended his trunk for Goat to shake with a reassuring smile. Goat noticed a pink puffed flower with a small speck perched on top of it with a raised brow.

The mouse slid down the trunk towards the tip of it and extended his small paw for Goat to shake. "I'm Morton. I'm just curious because I like your earpiercing. And...I don't see goats like you wearing them normally."

"Goats like me?" Goat questioned with a raised brow.

"Well...not exactly like you but similar," Morton explained, still having his small paw out.

Goat took a moment to consider shaking both of the strangers' hands and sighed deeply. He shook the small mouse's paw gently and then the elephant's trunk. "Goat."

"Goat?" Morton asked and then drew his hand back to his side.

Horton nodded his head. "Well, that's easy to keep track of."

Morton climbed back on top of Horton's head and leaned into one of his big ears. "Not when we're trying to find him in a heard of goats like him."

Goat twitched his ears. "I can assure you that there are no goats like me."

"How would you know?" Morton inquired, arching a brow.

Goat gazed off sadly for a brief moment, having immediate flashbacks of everything on fire and his family of goats being burned up right in front of him. He shook off his sadness to appear tough in front of both the mouse and the elephant.

"I just know, amigos," Goat responded while looking around. "Have you seen any of my friends?"

"Wait, you have friends?" Horton asked, tilting his head.

Morton glanced down at his elephant friend's eyes. "Well, everyone has friends--"

"No, what I mean is...we didn't see his friends when we found him."

"Yeah, but we saw one of **_her _**purple monkeys taking him and--" Morton had his eyes broadened in sudden realization. "Oh, yip."

"Where are they?" Goat asked, becoming desperate. "Where's Michael and Jean? Where's E.B, Jenkins, and...that vixen?"

Morton and Horton exchanged brief shocked glances at each other and then back at Goat.

Horton cleared his throat. "Well...to explain to you, where that monkey was about to take you...it's not going to a good place to go."

"They have been hunting both of us since Horton claimed that there's another world in the speck that he collected," Morton added the explanation. " ** _She_** didn't like the fact that Horton 'heard' a voice from a speck because she doesn't think it existed. **_She_** wanted the flower that Horton has in his trunk to be burned since it's all fantasy and **_she _**wanted to prove that to the entire animal population here in this jungle."

"Why are you being hunted?" Goat questioned the mouse.

"Because I'm Horton's friend. **_She_** gave me a chance to join them in the hunt for Horton but...I wouldn't join them. Instead, I joined Horton and we've been on the run ever since then," Morton explained further about himself and Horton. "Trust me, going down there is going to create more conflict with us and **_her_**."

"Who's this **_woman _**you keep talking about, compadre?" Goat interrogated, determined to fetch his friends out from wherever the danger was.

There's a brief moment pause as Horton and Morton glanced at each other again softly.

"Should we tell him?" Horton asked Morton for advice.

Morton nodded his head slightly. "I think it's for the best if he knows."

Horton shifted his attention back at Goat with a deep exhale. "She's known as the 'Sour' Kangaroo. She denies anything that--well, goes the opposite of her say. On top of that, she's an extremist when it comes to justice and...well--"

"All in all, she's a dangerous person to encounter," Morton finished Horton's explanation. "You wouldn't want to be around her."

"Is that where my friends are? With her?" Goat inquired.

"We guess," Horton replied with a shrug. His eyes widened suddenly as if he heard something again. "Look! There's a voice in there!"

Morton perked his ear up to hear a little voice Horton heard. "Are you sure you heard it?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Well, I'm just saying that you got big ears and everything."

"Did you hear anything, Goat--?" Horton's sentence was interrupted when he looked up and saw that Goat just disappeared.

Morton looked around the jungle. "Where did he go?"

Meanwhile, Goat slid down the hill. He had one objective in mind. He had to rescue his friends from the so-called 'Sour' Kangaroo before she does anything hurtful to them. Goat approached the shoreline where he knew he was being knocked out and saved Michael's life. He sniffed out the tracks mostly from the fox.

"It's still fresh," Goat muttered to himself with a sniff. "Also bananas...got to be from those monkeys. They can't be far from here."

Goat sniffed down the tracks and followed them through the jungle, his heart racing in anxiety. Were they going to be okay? Will it be too late for him to save them? He had no idea...but, he couldn't think like that now. He noticed an automatic rifle hidden in the bushes. He checked to see if it's loaded and then strapped it onto his back, knowing that it's loaded.

~.~

Meanwhile, Michael fluttered his eyes open to find himself in the large cage with his other friends...except one. He immediately sat up and noticed Vicky sleeping next to him with E.B cuddling Mr. Jenkins and Jean on the other side of him.

Michael glanced around to see that the cage they were in was being carried by buff purple monkeys. He shifted his gaze at Vicky and shook her shoulder gently.

"Uh...Vicky, wake up," Michael whispered lowly.

The vixen twitched her ears to hear Michael's voice and slowly lifted her eyelids. She observed her surroundings until she sat up abruptly.

"What the--?!"

"Hey, keep it down!" one of the monkeys ordered Vicky with a growl.

Vicky twitched her ears back as they finally approached the camp they were supposed to reach. Mr. Jenkins jolted awake, waking up E.B and Jean.

Jean had his eyes widened. "Son of a yip! We're kidnapped!"

"Oh boy," E.B replied with a deep sigh at the end of the sentence. "Michael, are we going to get out of this?"

"Maybe but not alive," Michael responded, almost muttering his sentence.

"W-What?" E.B gasped, her eyes enlarged in shock.

Vicky nudged at Michael's rib and gave him a dirty look. She then shifted her attention at E.B. "We can get out of this alive...just need a perfect opportunity to do so."

They swept their glance at their surroundings as the monkeys had their glares set on them.

"Why are they glaring at us like that?" Michael whispered to Vicky.

Vicky shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know."

They finally stopped at the center of the village with the monkeys growling at their prisoners. E.B hid behind Mr. Jenkins as Mr. Jenkins warbled nervously. Jean crawled over to Michael and climbed up to the fox's shoulder.

"Good thing Goat isn't here," Jean muttered underneath his breath. "But at the same time, where's Goat when you need him?"

The monkeys surrounded them and rattled their cage, instilling more fear in them.

E.B ducked behind Mr. Jenkins, who formed himself into a puffball. Michael put his arm over Vicky in 'protective' mode, even though he wouldn't have a reason to do that. Jean gripped tighter around Michael's fur on his neck, gazing around him with his rapid breathing.

"Stop!" They heard a dominant woman's voice shouting over the monkeys rattling their cage. Everyone darted their focus up at the purple kangaroo with her hands on her hips and eyes piercing down at the group. She had a pouch that made her appear like she was pregnant but something was moving in her pouch, indicating that she already gave birth to her own child.

The kangaroo stood proudly upon the rock on a small hill in front of the cage. "Get off of the cage." Her tone was stern in commanding, letting the monkeys hop off of the cage they were rattling just to scare the group.

The kangaroo hopped off of the rock and over towards the cage to the group with a piercing glare.

Michael watched the kangaroo approaching them as he whispered to Vicky. "Who's she?"

"Sour Kangaroo. She's the leader of the Jungle of Nool," Vicky whispered back to Michael.

Michael twitched his ears. "No wonder she had a sour expression on her face."

Vicky shot a deadpanned stare at Michael for his unintentional pun.

"No pun intended," Michael added, noticing how Vicky looked at him.

She shifted her attention back to the Sour Kangaroo.

The Sour Kangaroo shot a piercing glare at Vicky. "Vicky."

"Yes?"

Sour Kangaroo snatched the vixen by the wrist and removed the glove off of her paw that she had been wearing the entire time she's with the group. However, when she did that, it revealed a familiar circular cursed symbol with two snakes crossing over each other like an X-mark on Vicky's paw.

"Figures you work for them," Sour Kangaroo growled as she threw the vixen's paw away from her.

Michael had his brow raised at Vicky while having a billion questions in his mind. Vicky kept herself quiet, lowering her ears down.

"Who?" E.B spoke up innocently, who seemed genuinely scared of the big kangaroo, who's imprisoning them.

Sour Kangaroo shifted her gaze at the child, tilting her head. "You abducted a child?"

"No...we rescued her from the people she's abducted by. And she's part of our family," Michael uttered an answer.

Sour Kangaroo ignored Michael's answer and noticed a chickeraffe with a smirk. "Huh, it's not every day you see a chickeraffe here in the Jungle of Nool."

E.B narrowed her brows, suddenly becoming protective of her 'pet'. "Don't hurt Mr. Jenkins."

"I'm not planning to," Sour Kangaroo stated as she glared at Michael and Vicky. "We'll collect the award soon enough."

"Award?" Both Jean and Michael questioned at the same time.

Sour Kangaroo showed them the pictures of their faces on the wanted posters. Michael and Jean had their eyes bulged out wide while E.B tilted her head in confusion. Vicky, however, noticed that her face was on a poster.

"I heard that you betrayed them, Vicky...by helping them," Sour Kangaroo replied while inferring to Michael, Jean, E.B, and Mr. Jenkins.

"I never worked for them," Vicky responded to the accusation.

Sour Kangaroo guffawed at Vicky's defense. "Really? You must be pretty desperate after what happened to your family."

Vicky stayed silent, gazing sadly at the ground and pondering deeply. How could she say anything in her defense against the fact. She's desperate...too desperate. However, she didn't notice that she's raising more questions from Michael, Jean, and E.B.

Sour Kangaroo stiffened her stance to conclude her point. "We will be greatly awarded after we turn you guys in to those cultists--."

Immediately, a purple monkey entered the camp with a bruised eye and panting heavy breaths as if he'd been running.

Sour Kangaroo turned to the monkey and noticed his bruised eye, rolling her eyes at the sudden interruption. "What happened?"

"Ma'am, I-I have failed you," The monkey replied while bowing his head and crying endless tears.

"How so?" Sour Kangaroo questioned with a raised brow and a harsh tone.

The tribe of monkeys glared at the monkey with a bruised eye.

The monkey gulped. "I-I lost the last prisoner."

"The last prisoner?"

"He's only a goat though--"

"A goat?!" Sour Kangaroo barked at the monkey, scaring him.

"Y-Yes."

Sour Kangaroo silenced herself as she took out her pistol with a silencer from her side pocket. "What does this goat...look like?"

"Well...he's got wrinkles underneath his eyes...uh, he looks old. Oh, he has an ear-piercing--"

A silent shot was heard as the bullet crashed onto the monkey's head. The monkey flew back and collapsed on the dirt ground.

Michael and Jean gasped at the sight while E.B covered her agape mouth. Vicky had her arm out to protect both E.B and Mr. Jenkins from the Sour Kangaroo.

Sour Kangaroo glared at the monkey and turned to her prisoners with a deadly gaze. She cornered a smug smirk. "Well, it's too bad for you guys. He probably already made his way to WhoVille by now."

Everyone looked at each other in confusion, but then...they figured out who she's talking about.

~.~

Goat tracked down the tracks that led him into a large camp of animals all throughout the jungle in the dead of night. He hid behind the bushes, spying around the camp to see if they had any of his friends captive. There! He spotted them from a distance on the other side of the camp. Michael, Vicky, E.B, and Jean seemed to try to map out a route to get out of the wooden cage that they were shoved in.

Goat noticed all the purple monkeys roaming around the camp within the light of the blazing torches. He used the darkness and the bushes to sneak his way towards the cage. As he snuck up towards them, E.B noticed him from the corner of her eyes with a big childish grin on her face. She gasped lightly when she saw Goat sneaking towards them.

Before she could utter a word, Goat shushed her so that she wouldn't alert the purple monkeys surrounding them. E.B covered her mouth quickly, her eyes twinkling in the light as he stepped closer. She elbowed Michael and Vicky, as both of the foxes turned their heads to see Goat skulking up to them. Michael's grin widened while his tail was wagging happily to see his partner in crime coming to the rescue.

Goat approached the cage door and took out small pins on his hooves.

"Well, that's convenient," Vicky admitted as Goat began to lockpick their cell door.

"Thanks. Keep a lookout to see if I'm spotted," Goat commanded softly as he twisted and turned the pins to unlock the door.

However, before anyone could react, something just slammed him in the gut. Goat flew away from his group, leaving them gasping in shock.

"GOAT!" Vickey, E.B, and Jean screamed out for him.

"NO!" Michael shouted as he glanced up at the giant ape that was bigger than the cage itself.

Goat gained consciousness and stared up at the ape with his mouth open agape. Then, he noticed the tribe of monkeys hooting and cheering for the bigger ape.

"Get him, Goliath! Get him!" One of the monkeys shouted over the crowd.

Goliath, the giant ape, pounded his chest with a loud roar at Goat.

Goat sighed deeply with a deadpanned stare at the huge ape. "Oh boy."

Vicky noticed the pins stuck on the lock and continued to what Goat was doing, trying to unlock their way out of this mess.

Goat stood back up and set his glare up at Goliath. Before he could pull out his automatic gun to take down the giant ape, a familiar huge elephant tackled Goliath out of nowhere.

"Horton?!" Goat shouted in instant recognition.

Before Horton could say a word to him, Goliath used his hands to throw the elephant in the center of the camp. Morton sped into the battlefield and climbed on top of the giant ape.

"Get off of him!" Morton barked while trying to take down a giant ape despite his small size.

Horton noticed that he didn't have his flower. "Morton! Where's the speck?!"

"The what?!" Morton asked before being snatched up and thrown out of camp.

Goat noticed the small pink furred flower that Horton always held drifting through the camp. He dove for it while dodging the ape's pounding fists towards the ground around him. He obtained the flower and noticed the apes now joining in the battlefield. Goat used his teeth to hold the flower with a speck in it and took out his automatic rifle. As the monkeys pursued after Horton, Goat fired the bullets to take down the monkeys trying to tie up Horton.

However, more monkeys rushed towards Goat since he's the one shooting them. One of the monkeys approached him and threw a fist at Goat's face, but Goat dodged quickly and snatched the monkey by the arm. He thrusted the monkey at the three others charging towards him. He was able to knock them all down with one throw as he was approached by another monkey. The monkey swung on the vine to kick Goat down but Goat ducked his body to dodge the next incoming attack and grabbed the vine the monkey was swinging on. The monkey fell off the vine by the sudden jerk to stop. Goat used the vine to swing himself around and taking out more monkeys charging at him with his hooves.

While Goat was fighting off the monkeys with his wit and strength, Vicky had her mouth opened agape of how Goat was fighting them. However, Jean wasn't surprised by it and neither was E.B. Mr. Jenkins followed his gaze at the goat, watching him in pure fascination and never figuring that he could do more than just fight with his horns. Michael's grin widened with his tail wagging excitedly to see his partner taking down the monkey tribe one by one.

Goat leaped off of the vine to hop towards Horton, handing his flower back.

"Thank you," Horton thanked Goat.

Goat nodded his head in response while he leaped onto Goliath's back, trying to strangle the ape but the ape grabbed his small body and thrusted him harshly against the ground, causing him to collide against the dirt more than once.

Michael gasped, losing his admirable grin.

"ATTICUS!!" Michael cried out, confusing everyone around him.

"Atticus?" Jean uttered with a raised brow at the fox.

Goat slowly got up and glared up at Goliath, ready to fight despite being heavily injured from crashing onto the ground.

"Stop!" A dominant woman's voice shouted for all to hear. Everyone quickly glanced up at the purple kangaroo with a stuck-up nose, shooting a glowering glare at Goat.

"J-Jane?" Goat recognized meekly, trying to stand up but collapsed on the ground. "Y-You are the Sour Kangaroo?"

Jane, the Sour Kangaroo, pointed her pistol with a silencer at Goat. "And your full name is Atticus Goat."

Goat twitched his ears with broadened eyes while standing up from the ground.

"Your little fox friend said it," Jane replied with a smirk while inferring to Michael, who had his ears drooped down and not sure he should be ashamed or not.

Goat lifted his automatic rifle and aimed it at Jane. "Leave them out of this. Let them go."

"In exchange for what? They're part of the award."

"Award?"

"Yes...those cultists want you and your little friends...dead or alive. Preferably alive, no doubt."

"Cultists? What do you mean?"

"The Gatherers of the Whispers want you all for a reason. Don't know what the reason is but that doesn't concern me."

Goat narrowed his brows at her while cocking his gun back and ready to pull the trigger.

Morton ran back into the scene and realized the current situation. "Goat, if you shoot her down, her reign will end here!"

Horton nodded his head in agreement.

Goat kept his glare at Jane, who just smirked to herself.

Jane twitched her pointy ears. "Go ahead, Atticus, shoot. That's all you're ever good for."

Goat had his finger on the trigger, ready to take a shot until something unexpected happened.

"Mom, what's going on out here?" A baby kangaroo poked his head out of Jane's pouch.

Goat gasped in complete shock, losing his glare but not lowering his weapon.

Jane lost her glare and focused on her son, who she knew that she had to keep in her pouch in order for him to survive...but he's old enough to hop out of the pouch.

"Rudy...get out of the pouch," Jane calmly commanded of her son.

"But...you always said to stay in the pouch," Her son, Rudy, stated with innocence in his eyes, unaware of Goat pointing the gun at his mother.

Jane shook her head. "Not this time."

Rudy shifted his gaze at Goat, noticing him pointing a rifle at him and his mother. He ducked his head slightly into his mother's pouch with timid eyes.

"He's not aiming for you, sweetie," Jane replied softly, moving her eyes down at her son.

Rudy hopped out of the pouch hesitantly and moved away from his mother, with a couple of purple monkeys guarding him. Jane set her sights on Goat, who had a soft gaze at her.

"Go on, shoot," Jane egged on with a snarl, ready to take any shot Goat will give her.

Goat blinked his eyes as he shifted his gaze at his friends, who looked at him desperately, wondering if he's going to pull the trigger or not. He then looked at Rudy, who stared at him back in horror. Goat knew that look...he knew it all too well. It's the same look that Jane gave him after he killed her husband. It's the same horrified look that will eventually bring tears and sadness, boiling anger from within enough to take revenge, and to the point of facing the enemy who took everything from the grasp of the heart-broken ones.

_**Goat realized where he made his mistake. He should've left that kangaroo jack out in the rain, maybe if Jane walked out of there while he's still trying to cling to life, she would've helped him get to the nearest hospital. There were millions of things he knew he should've done but it's too late to change them...but it's not too late to not repeat them.** _

Goat sighed heavily, closed his eyes, and shook his head. He immediately tossed the automatic rifle away, shocking everyone by this course of action, including Jane. He raised his hooves up, as if he's surrendering, and gazed up at Jane softly.

"Go ahead...shoot," Goat uttered with tears edging out of his eyes.

"A-Atticus," Michael called out softly but Goat ignored it.

Goat pressed on gently. "I know that an apology won't bring back your husband...but I'm really sorry. I let my anger against him get the best of me...and I killed him...over and over again. You can kill me out of revenge but please...let them go. They had nothing to do with your husband's death and they certainly shouldn't be turned in for some kind of an award. What award do you think those men, who were just as horrible as me, would give you?"

Jane began to silence herself, shocked that Goat would surrender just like that. She still held her pistol up at him, trying not to be convinced that this was all true.

"You don't know, do you?"

Jane didn't respond, losing her glare at the goat.

"Please...you can do whatever you want with me...but let them go," Goat begged, referring to Michael, Jean, Vicky, Mr. Jenkins, and E.B. "They have something to go back to...I don't."

Jane twisted her mouth down to the side, lowering her gun slightly. There's a brief silence as she focused on her son. Rudy seemed a bit relieved that the goat wasn't going to shoot his mother but more intense about his mother holding up a gun against a goat who didn't even shoot at her like expected. Jane thought back on all the memories about her after her husband was gone. How she took it when it happened. How she always told her son to stay in the pouch in case there were people out there like Goat who would go around and killing people for unknown reasons. Now, encountering the killer who killed her husband in a malicious way, she knew why her heart was cold.

There were a couple of questions that were driving her crazy now since Goat didn't pull the trigger like he would back then when he knew her.

"Why did you kill my husband?" Jane asked, now desperate for an answer.

Goat frowned at the question and lowered his sights on the ground. "Your husband was into shady business with us crooks back then. He's the boss of a gang in the city...and he let those men beat me up. By the time he's about to kill me...I had to defend myself, so I slit his throat. But what I did after that did not bring justice...it just brought more destruction."

There's a pause as Goat lifted his gaze up at Jane.

"I was angry with him. I felt betrayed...but...I carried it too far. It ended up scarring you...and...I'm sorry for those scars I left behind."

"Sorry won't fix it."

"I know."

Jane shifted her gaze at Rudy and then back at Goat. "Why didn't you pull the trigger?"

"Because...I don't want to leave the same scars on your son that I left on you. I don't want to make the same mistake."

Jane lowered her gun all the way, glancing at Goat's friends in the cage. Then, she turned her attention back on Goat. Goat waited for her to carry out her demands on how she wanted Goat to die.

Jane bit her bottom lip. "You told me once that you wouldn't give your full name to somebody unless you care about them."

Goat broadened his eyes, his memory of that hour before killing Jack triggered.

Jane darted her gaze between his friends and Goat. "You cared about them, don't you?"

Goat gazed at his friends, mostly at Michael. Michael gulped quietly, hoping that his friend would get out of this situation without being killed. Goat softly smiled at him and then shifted his glance up at Jane.

"Yes...I do," Goat replied but he lost his smile. "Just let them go, please."

Jane kept quiet to herself. Part of her wanted to kill Goat and his friends but there's another part of her that wanted to spare him. She didn't know what to do. For once, in all of her leadership, she became indecisive.

Then, she shook her head with her brows drawn together. "You know, killing you in front of your friends is like you killing my husband in front of me. I'm nothing like you."

Jane lowered her gun and placed back to where it belongs, causing Goat to be shocked about her actions. There's a brief tender pause as Goat cornered a soft relieved smile at her.

Morton giggled a little nervously. "Wow...you actually convinced her."

Before Jane could give the order to let them all go, a shot sounded from behind her. A bullet crashed onto Goat's side, causing Goat to stumbled back onto the ground. Jane shot a glare at one of the monkeys, who held a rifle with a dark chuckle. She immediately took the gun away from him.

"I didn't give the order!" Jane barked sternly at the monkey.

"They said that if you changed your mind...we carry out what the whispers are telling us."

"W-What?" Jane asked, with furrowed brows.

Her son hopped back into her pouch, now afraid of the tribe that suddenly turned on her and her son.

"You rule over us with dominance! Now, you're just going to let the awards go because of your sob backstory about your husband. That goat killed your husband. You should've killed him," The monkey growled at her with the tribe glaring at her.

She immediately had her hands up when they lifted their ammunition against her.

"Round them up!" The monkey gave a demanding order as Goliath, the giant ape, shoved Horton in his cage with the help of the other monkeys.

A group monkeys noticed Morton and tried to pounce on him to catch the mouse, but Morton was too fast for them.

Morton sped over to Horton's cage. "I'm going to get help, Horton! I'll come back for you guys!"

"Alright, hurry!" Horton shouted with panic in his tone.

"Hurry is my middle name," Morton replied, trying to imitate an epic tone.

"I don't remember you having a middle name," Horton responded, not getting the figure of speech.

Morton hung his head low in discouragement. "Nevermind. I'll come back for you!"

Morton bolted out of the camp to get help while the monkeys captured Jane and her son and shoved them into the cage besides Horton's. Jane protected her son right away, gasping in complete shock.

The monkeys approached Goat while one of them slammed a fist against his cheek. Goat collapsed on the ground, covering his injured side.

"Atticus!" Michael screamed out the goat's name again, shaking the cage with desperation to get to his partner.

Jean noticed that the cage was wobbling whenever the fox was shaking it. If only there was more force--

A lightbulb went off the mouse's head.

"Mr. Jenkins! Help Michael shake the cage!" Jean demanded, as the chickeraffe warbled excitedly and joined Michael in shaking the cage. Vicky and E.B seemed confused until Jean looked at them. "Shake the cage! Help them shake the cage!"

Vicky understood what Jean was saying while glancing at the little girl. "Help us shake the cage! It'll come down if we do this!"

E.B nodded her head in understanding as the girls were rattling the cage with Michael and Mr. Jenkins. Suddenly, the group of monkeys surrounded them and gave their hollers an outcry just to scare out of that idea. They don't know what to do...

Meanwhile, another group of monkeys lifted Goat on his feet while one of them punched him in the gut.

Michael saw this and became enraged. He tore the wooden cage through, creating a hole and tackled one of the monkeys holding his friend hostage. "Stop hurting my friend!"

"Michael!" Jean shouted from his shoulder as the other monkeys pulled the fox off of the monkey and took out a knife to cut him. He sliced Michael's chest with the knife, now enraging Goat.

"Hey!" Goat barked as a fist connected to his jaw.

Jean took a golden opportunity and bit the monkey's wrist when he attempted to cut the fox's throat. The monkey flicked his wrist, letting Jean fly away from his friends and hit his head against the rock on the ground. The mouse was unconscious from the bump in the head.

"Jean!" Michael screamed out as the monkey with a knife sliced his stomach, causing the fox to howl in pain.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Goat barked at the monkeys, angry tears filling in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks.

Vicky was about to step in to help them but the monkeys blocked her way with menacing smiles. She put her arm out to protect both E.B and Mr. Jenkins from them.

Michael began to feel unconscious from losing so much blood already. The monkey raised his knife just to stab the fox with it. Goat shook his head while trying to fight them off but it's no use. 

"NO! NO!" Goat cried, his voice dried from screaming too loud.

In an instant, a claw grabbed the monkey's wrist that held the knife and pulled the arm down. The arm was resisting the pull, which summoned the sawblade that just cut off the monkey's arm clean off. The monkey screeched in pain as he let go of Michael and stumbled with a missing arm. Michael and Goat glanced up at the person who just cut off the monkey's arm. It turned out to be the Biologist, their suspect, holding an arm with his claw.

The Biologist tossed the arm aside and glared at the monkeys with a growl. "ThEy'Re My TaRgEtS--tHeY'rE mInE."

Goat glared at the Biologist while Michael fell unconscious from losing too much blood. It's sudden that more vehicles pulled up into the campsite with a cursed symbol on the side. The men got out of the trucks as one of the priests approached the Biologist.

"Stand down. You'll get your kill soon enough," the priest whispered to the Biologist with a smirk at Goat.

But that didn't stop the Biologist and Goat from exchanging glares at each other. 

_**To Be Continued...** _


	12. Episode Twelve: The Key to Salvation

_**Episode Twelve: The Key to Salvation** _   


_Flashback: Twenty-Five years ago._

A married fox couple were covering their ears in absolute anguish in the village full of hostile foxes and irritating sounds from the fox whistle. The fox strode towards a cushion and tore it up with his sharp claws instead of using it on his vixen. He gripped on the two thick balls of cotton and stuffed them into his ears. The fox finally calmed down and then turned to his wife, who's covering her head and crying. He then snatched a couple more thick balls of cotton and plugged her ears with them. The vixen slowly wiped the tears away, breathing in and out heavily. Soon, the irritating sounds were over and the foxes stopped their hostile fights. The foxes in the village had their eyes widened in pure horror and mouths opened agape. Some of them coughed out a bit of blood from the fight they had while staring down at their victims in fear.

The couple, with cotton balls plugged in their ears, checked the crib. There's a baby fox kit inside of the crib, trembling in fear and wailing.

"Rejoice! Death is not the end!" A loud voice echoed in the village, causing the fox to turn his head. He peeked out of the house to see there's a vehicle with six buff men walking around it while the priest sat on top of the black vehicle and had a megaphone on his lap.

"Those of you who survived your brawls, congratulations!" The priest continued his preaching. "You have proven your dominance to the whispers! Now, hand over your children! The whispers will make them useful with your dominant blood!"

"No, no," The vixen whispered, sobbing while picking up the crying kit out of the crib. She nuzzled her face against the kit's to quiet him down and shushing him gently.

However, the couple wasn't the only ones who heard the kit wailing. The priest and the six buff men heard the baby crying.

"Take the boy!" The priest ordered both of the men besides the vehicle to charge in after the couple.

"Don't let them take my baby!" The vixen cried as she clutched her kit away from those men.

As one of the men charged into the building to grab the baby from the vixen, the fox gripped around the man's dark suit and threw him over the couch. However, the other man socked the fox in the face. The fox collapsed on the floor and set his stare up at his wife holding his baby.

"Run, Bailey, Run! Get Michael Junior somewhere safe!" The fox yelled while snatching the man's ankle before he could come towards the vixen and the fox kit. The vixen ran away without hesitation.

The fox leaped onto the man's back to prevent him from chasing after his wife. He strangled the man and knocked him out unconscious. He threw him onto the floor, breathing heavily. By the time he turned around to face more men, it was too late. A saw swiped at his neck, decapitating his head clean off before any movement was made. The Biologist, a minuture three green scopes masked monster with a saw blade replacing one hand and a claw replacing the other, glared down at the decapitated fox laying on the floor, blood slowly pooling out of the neck of the fox he killed.

The priest approached behind him while he's breathing heavily. He put his hand on the small man's tensed shoulder. "Well done. Now kill the wife and take the baby...the baby has the dominant blood that we're searching for."

The Biologist stared at the headless body longer than expected, his body trembling. **Y̶̧͓͋ȫ̶̡̜U̵̻͒̚ ̸̝̒͊j̷̣U̴̝̙͐͒s̶̟T̷̛̲͝ ̴͑̈͜ṁ̷̬͖A̷̡̭͆͘d̷͓̽E̶̞͆ ̷̛͎̈m̸͇̈E̶̹̿͠ ̵͖̖̓͆k̷ͅI̸̮̙͋ļ̴̪̂̂L̵̳͈̐̿ ̵͇̃m̵̞̓Ỷ̶͇̖͂ ̷͇͋̓f̷͕̂̈́R̶̲͋̌i̸̗̺͗̿Ȇ̸͖n̷̫̆Ď̵̬̻.̶̩͂.̶͙̈͜.̵̘̇**

"He's no longer your friend. He's just a simple fool who just named his baby after him," The priest replied sternly. "Now, do as you're told. Kill the vixen and take the baby. If the baby wasn't with her...well...the whispers will find us more dominant fox blood. Now, go!"

Biologist hesitated for a moment before he stormed out of the house to hunt down the vixen and her baby.

~.~

_Present: Twenty-Five Years later_

"Goat, wake up...wake up," Vicky uttered while waking Goat from his sleep while he jittered and shivered in the early morning.

Goat moaned while waking up groggily from his slumber. He fluttered his eyes open up to notice Vicky trying to wake him up. "What?"

"You-um-were jittering in your sleep," Vicky informed softly.

Goat arched a brow. "Since when do you care?"

He stood up on his fours but his wound on the side caused him to stumble and collapse on the ground.

Jean scurried next to Goat with a soft concerned gaze. "Don't try to get up, Atticus."

Goat broadened his eyes at the mouse. "How did you--?"

He suddenly realized that he's in a hut with bars in front of them as if they're in prison. He then shifted his glance over at E.B, who's petting Mr. Jenkins to calm him down. He did, however, noticed one person missing from their group.

"Where's Michael?" Goat asked his friends immediately.

Vicky bit her bottom lip. "They took him someplace after he passed out. I don't know where. I hope he's in this camp still."

"We're going to have to find out," Jean determined as he squeezed himself through the bars to get out of the cell.

"Couldn't you have done that sooner?" Vicky questioned while Jean dusted himself off from the other side.

"I was concern for my friend," Jean referred to Goat.

Goat attempted to stand on all fours again while leaning against the bars. "Just...Just make sure Michael is okay."

"I will, mon amie. I'll be right back," Jean responded while scurrying away from the cell and out of the hut.

Goat's body shook while he tried to sit up against the cold metal bars while gazing out of the barred window.

Vicky stared Goat's pained expression as he finally sat down and leaned his head against the bars with his horns making a clattering sound.

Goat noticed Vicky's staring with an arched brow. "What?"

"Nothing."

The silence commenced as Goat exhaled heavily to let out what he needed to get off of his chest. 

E.B shivered while she rubbed her arms to warm herself up. "Are we going to get out of this?"

"We will," Vicky replied in a hopeful tone.

"Don't lie to her, zorra." Goat flicked a glare at the vixen.

Vicky narrowed her eyes at him. "It's not lying. It's called giving her hope. People need hope every once in a while."

"Says the vixen with a sweet tattoo on her paw." Goat pointed at Vicky's tattooed paw. Vicky had her eyes widened slightly in surprise when Goat noticed it. "You don't think I noticed it, huh?"

Vicky grunted and raised her paw with a tattoo that was a circular shape with two snakes crossing over each other like an X mark. She peeled off the tattoo, indicating it to be a fake paper tattoo. She ripped it to shreds and crumbled it in front of Goat, who had his eyes enlarged in surprise.

Vicky smirked a bit. "It's about time that someone did."

"I don't understand. If you're not working for those freaks...then who do you even work for?"

The vixen grabbed what's inside of her pocket, which was a card, and handed it to Goat. "Read it for yourself."

Goat raised his brow higher when he took the card and scrutinized it. He couldn't be any more confused at this moment when reading what the card said in bold blood-red letters: "G.O.O.D.G.U.Y.S."

Goat gazed up at the vixen, being baffled.

"Flip it over," Vicky urged while using her finger to make a circular motion for Goat to flip it over.

Goat flipped the card over and his eyes bulged out when he read: "Governed Organisms and Origin Defense Glurfsburg Upper Yapville Section."

"We defend people's lives," Vicky explained before Goat could raise a question. "The Biologist happened to be the suspect in my case. But I see that you B.A.D.G.U.Y.S are also after him too."

"How did you--?"

"When you told me to not shoot the chickeraffe, I could tell that you were the protector of animals," Vicky figured. "Besides, Michael and Jean seemed nice to be the 'bad people' but you fit into that category perfectly."

Goat furrowed his brow with a gruff."You're a sly vixen. How come you didn't tell us earlier before I just assumed--wait a minute, how come you 'worked' for them?"

"It's an undercover job."

"Oh."

"I'm sure that you of all people can understand that."

"I'm still new to this whole spy thing," Goat admitted while flicking his ears in irritation.

"Well, you better get used to it since you're working with the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S--"

"I don't recall us going through 'spy' training--"

"Well, aren't you guys called agents instead of police officers for a specific reason?"

Goat pondered for a moment, gritting his teeth a bit from the pain on his side. "You know, zorra, The Biologist is our suspect too."

"Well, he's not the only suspect I'm after."

Goat raised his brow. "Who else?"

Vicky looked around and leaned in to whisper. "Magnus Stanley."

"Magnus Stanley. Who's he?"

"Jeckles's partner."

"What?" E.B gasped with her mouth fell open agape.

"I didn't know Jeckles has a partner," Goat gruffed with his arms crossed.

"How do you think Jeckles became a crime boss, despite coming from nothing?"

Goat and E.B had their eyes bulged while giving each other shocked glances.

Vicky arched a brow. "You guys seriously think Jeckles got there by himself?"

"Well...it might take years...but, wait! Why would Jeckles join a sicko religion like the Gatherers of the Whispers? He, at one point, thought of himself as a god," Goat indicated.

"Yeah...would they not like it when he acts like he's a 'god'?" E.B added the question innocently.

"Actually, the polar opposite," Vicky explained with a matter-of-factly tone. "The powers were supposed to symbolized the boost of the world's ending. The bombs were supposed to destroy places and turn the grass to ashes. Lives will be lost. Lives will be taken away if someone with powers...or maybe it doesn't have to be somebody with those powers. It can be used to kill the lives that survived the bombs. However, when your friend Guy has powers and fought Jeckles off before he could even bomb anywhere, Jeckles must've given the remaining of his power to him before he died."

E.B switched her gaze back up at Goat. "I think that's why Guy's been having nightmares."

"Maybe. That would also explain his trembling hand," Goat acknowledged as he shifted his gaze over at Vicky. "Does that mean that those powers will turn Guy...evil?"

"I don't think so...but...those Gatherers of the Whispers have access to those powers. They can use his nightmares or hallucinations to break him just enough to think that it's real. I think they are trying to get Guy to be in their cult," Vicky theorized with a meek tone. "I think that's why the cult needs you...so, maybe they could kill you in front of him. The first thing they're going to do is--"

"Find the weakness," Goat finished her sentence, understanding what's going on. "That's how you take down a powerful individual."

Vicky narrowed her determination. "That means that we can't let them hurt us."

"Most of all, not let them hurt Guy through dreams and hallucinations," Goat figured while rubbing his chin.

"Wouldn't Guy still get hurt by that either way? You can't stop what's going in Guy's mind," E.B responded logically.

"Maybe not. But there has to be a way to end that curse. But we're not going to figure this out while we're trapped here," Vicky indicated to the cell that they're trapped in. "We're going to have to figure a way out."

"How?"

Goat nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, how?"

Vicky pondered for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe someone can come and save us from this. I don't know."

"I hope so," E.B uttered in a sad tone.

"Me too," Goat replied with a soft wistful sigh.

~.~

Murray, Chad, Michellee, and McWinkle were gathered around in the living room, talking amongst themselves about what just happened over at Thneedville in the early morning.

"Why was that dome built?" Chad ignited the question with his brow raised.

"Its purpose was to keep people ignorant of what's going on out here," McWinkle answered simply.

Michellee glanced up at McWinkle with confusion written in her eyes. "Why?"

McWinkle shrugged his shoulders.

Murray took a deep exhale and shifted his gaze at Michellee. "It's all about control. The control of people's thoughts, how they live, how they die, you get the picture. It's a simple matter of when people will think that what's out here is just a fantasy and what they were living is a reality. If you didn't know already, the air down in Truffala Tree forest is insufferable. It's hard to breathe because of all that smog in the air. If it weren't for the dome, people would suffocate breathing into the smog air and eventually be slaughtered. The dome serves as a 'salvation' rather than as a prison. Those people responsible for building the dome wanted to control what air they breathe and how much air would cost per day."

"That sounds unbearable to live in," Chad uttered, gulping.

"Well, that's how it works. However, someone decided to bring down the dome. The question is...who? Who is powerful enough to bring down the entire dome in one day?" Murray questioned as he swept his glance around the living room.

"G-Guy?" Michellee muttered but everyone heard her.

"That does sound like something Guy would do," McWinkle replied to concur with the woman.

Murray smiled brightly. "My, my, if you say that Guy was powerful enough, he must've been the one who brought down the dome in Thneedville."

"Why though?" Chad asked rapidly.

"I guess that's something that you should talk to Guy about," Murray suggested with a shrug.

McWinkle shifted his gaze over at Chad. "Um...Chad, could we talk...in private?"

"Why?"

"Just a talk."

McWinkle stood up and guided Chad out of the living room, leaving Michellee with Murray.

Murray noticed her peturbed gaze on the floor. "What's wrong?"

Michellee rubbed her arm nervously with a soft sigh. "It's, um, about Guy. We're in a relationship and...well, I'm getting worried about him as well as for E.B. Ever since he defeated Jeckles, he's been having these...nightmares. I thought a trip to somewhere out of town can help clear up those nightmares but...they kept getting worse and I'm getting awfully worried about him. I don't know what to do."

Murray twisted his mouth for a second and then glanced up at her. "You know, maybe after you find your daughter, you could find something that might help your boyfriend."

"Like what?"

Murray glanced around the room and leaned in close to whisper to Michellee. "There's a secret cave in the Jungle of Nool. It lies underneath the Great Falls full of secrets and treasures. Within this cave, there's an answer to Guy's powers."

"An answer?"

"Why yes. Believe me when I tell you that you might find something that can enhance your lover's powers, helping him conquer his nightmares like a god. In fact, it might help him conquer anything like a god."

"I don't think Guy was looking to be the most powerful being--"

"Well...so far, he is until those nightmares get the best of him. It might help answer questions that either you or anyone else has. Think of this as a way to enhance who you are inside and out. I'm sure Guy has good intentions with those powers."

Michellee nodded her head. "Yes...but...someone said something about him becoming a monstrous beast without any control--"

"Oh, well, that's a really cool transformation but if your lover doesn't really want to hurt anybody--he ought to find the cave I was telling you about. Better yet, you and your friends can find before he does and give it to him. So that he doesn't have to delve that deep into the ruins."

"Okay, are there any monsters--?"

"I think we need to go," McWinkle interrupted as he walked into the living room with Chad, who seemed sweating nervously.

Michellee had her brow arched, curious about what her friends were talking about. She stood up and was ready to go along with McWinkle and Chad as Murray got off of his chair and waited by the front door.

"Are you guys going to continue on with this journey?" Murray asked the group.

McWinkle glanced over at Murray with a nod. "We need to find Michellee's daughter quickly. We don't know if they'll do something horrible to her or not."

"I hope she's safe," Michellee muttered underneath her breath.

Chad readjusted his broken glasses. "Where will we go next? Those...cultists already thought that we're dead...where will we--?"

"The Jungle of Nool," McWinkle answered before Chad could ask further while turning to him. "There should be some facility of those cultists. Wherever those cultists are, that's where they must have kept E.B."

"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Michellee urged while stepping towards the front door.

Murray opened the front door for Michellee. "If you ever need refuge, you know where to go."

"Thank you so much for letting us stay," Chad politely thanked the pink-furred man with a fedora hat.

"Anytime," Murray replied while tilting his hat in farewell. "Be safe."

"We will. Thank you, Murray," McWinkle saluted as the three of them exited out of the farmhouse.

Murray saluted to McWinkle, Michellee, and Chad as they went off on their own. Murray slowly closed the door and leaned his head against it, breathing shakily. A wry smirk was cornered on his face with a few tears in his eyes.

~.~

Thneedville became divided. Half of the people went with Ted, Audrey, Ms. Wiggins, and Nora to plant a new seed to regrow the Truffala Tree Forest, even though they knew deep down that it will take years before the forest could come back fully. However, the other half went back to the city of Thneedville to rebuild their homes that were destroyed in the process of the dome's collapse and put back what they once had from the 'help' of the Gatherers of the Whispers.

At Oncelor's three-story store, The Oncelor himself broke through the boards covering his bedroom window with an ax and let the sunshine pierced through the smog dark clouds. The sun had finally risen and a new day was just the beginning. A faint smile grew on the old man's face underneath the white bushy mustache that went around his head. The meaning of the seed planted in the forest would rebirth what he once destroyed. The thought of that just made his smile wider. He heard tiny footsteps entering his bedroom.

"So...you're going to stay here?" A voice peered behind him. Oncelor turned around to notice the short orange-furred guardian with a bushy yellow mustache and a concerned gaze.

Oncelor nodded his head while turning his head to look out the window. "Yes. I believe that I'm needed here."

The Lorax approached beside his tall friend and hopped up to the window sill just to sit next to him. He looked out into the destroyed forest with the bright sun revealing the brokenness of the destroyed trees. Lorax shifted his gaze up at the Oncelor. "You know, it's going to take years till the forest can regrow."

"I know...but that doesn't mean that I won't be patient." Oncelor frowned while looking down at his short friend. "You know, I promised you once that I won't cut down any more trees...and I broke that promise. I-I want to say that I'm-I'm sorry. I don't know if you'll forgive me."

The Lorax twisted the corner of his mouth downward while gazing at the view, recollecting every memory they had together.

_**The Lorax could remember every moment from the good times of when he first met the Oncelor to the horrible memory of when his friend turned his heart from gold to green with envy. What he did in that forest, cutting down the trees and striping the tufts off of them, just seemed heartless. But the Lorax knew why he did it.** _

_**The Oncelor didn't come from a rich family but a family full of money-hungry people. His brothers were dumber than bricks yet they did a better job of proving their worth than he did.** _

_**His aunt luckily married a rich millionaire and she couldn't be happier...well, it's mostly because of the unlimited riches, which only added by her husband treating her like a queen. His cousins, who he didn't bother getting close to, were always relying heavily on the money their father makes.** _

_**His mother, however, wasn't as greedy as the rest of his family. In fact, she was the only person who Oncelor was close to along with his father until his father passed away. His father used to be in the gardening business, wearing those green gloves to plant new seeds and dig out the pestering weeds. His father was the one who gave the Oncelor those long green gloves. He's the one who Oncelor was inspired to be. When he passed away, it's almost like his mother lost all of her control. Her money desire grew as a sweet woman the Oncelor once knew faded away into a wretched drunken parent who sleeps on the couch at 3AM, slurring words that used to scare the Oncelor as an eight-year-old. She yelled at him for every moment he would tell his mother his events, telling him that he would never be anything more than a mere disappointment. He was compared often with his brothers and, if anyone had to ask, he's nothing like his brothers.** _

_**Once the Oncelor was in his early twenties, he knew he had to move out and that's when the Lorax met him. In the Truffala Tree forest, he used his ax chopped down the first tree and stripped its tuft to make something called a 'Thneed', unknowingly summoning the guardian of the forest known as The Lorax.** _

_**Of course, their relationship seemed a struggle at first until Oncelor promised to not cut down any more trees and befriended the Lorax and the animals. But...when his Thneed became a huge hit, that's where the young boy's heart became green and his bloodline of money-hungry people was activated. Those green gloves that his father once wore and passed it down to him symbolized as planting a new seed became a representation of wealth and riches. That's when he single-handedly destroyed the Truffala Tree Forest and all of its beauty, unknowingly driving out the animals and the Lorax within.** _

Lorax softened his gaze at his tall old friend and put his hand on his friend's arm. "Look, beanpole, I know that you had a terrible life and a family who you were trying to impress. I guess that didn't matter to you anymore."

"No, it doesn't anymore. As far as I know...my family died years after the forest was gone."

"Oh...I see." There's a brief pause as The Lorax sighed heavily. "I, um...got to go."

The Oncelor turned to his short guardian friend with his tears gushing out of his eyes a bit. "Will you come back?"

The Lorax cornered a soft smile at him. "You bet I will."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Oncelor smiled softly and pulled the Lorax into his embrace. "You know, it's been a while since you called me that."

"What?"

"Beanpole."

The Lorax chuckled. "Oh...yeah. Look, I forgive you for what happened back then. You're not the same person as you are before. Please don't live in isolation like that again."

"It's going to be hard to get used to having people around me."

Both of the Lorax and the Oncelor pulled away from each, exchanging gentle smiles in understanding. They heard running feet entering the Oncelor's room, shifting their gaze at someone entering the room. It was the Grinch, bending over with his hands on his knees and panting from running up the stairs.

"Whew! That's a lot of stairs," Grinch pointed behind him with a heavy exhale.

"What's up?" Lorax inquired with an arched brow.

Grinch stood up straight with a tired smile. "Uh, do you happen to know where the Jungle of Nool is?"

The Lorax's face changed from a soft gaze to a determined one.

~.~

Gabriella had the book of the Gatherers of the Whispers opened with both Guy and Sam looking over her shoulders while Cat paced back and forth behind her with Karlos, Max, Dave, and Jeffrey watching. She held out a strange passage that was given to Guy by the priest in Thneedville, analyzing the meaning behind it.

"Do you know what it means?" Guy asked Gabriella, hoping that she could figure it out.

She murmured words underneath her breath, reading the passage. Then, she shifted her gaze back at Knox. "The priest told you that the answer is in Nool and he gave this passage in the process. The Jungle of Nool is a huge place...so, there must be a specific place where we could look for the answer. See? 'Darkness swallows one hole'. 'The Light scares the living things within walls'. It must be inferred to a cave somewhere in Nool."

"There are multiple of caves in Nool," Jeffrey joined in on the conversation. "The question is...which one?"

Cat continued to pace back and forth anxiously, raising some concern for the goldfish in the fishbowl.

Karlos hopped onto the rim of his fishbowl with a raised brow. "Uh...Cat, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, Marlin," Cat answered dismissively, still deep in thought.

Karlos groaned irritably. "You know, it's getting to the point where I can't correct you anymore."

"What are you thinking about?" Sam asked Cat, who just turned and focused on him.

"Oh...well, I'm trying to think up a mysterious cave full of booby traps and holding important that Guy might need. For some reason, I keep thinking of a cave called, um, Griesal Cave. I don't know why it's called that but...that's the name of it," Cat answered, puzzling and puzzling.

"Where is it?" Dave questioned the Cat in the Hat.

"Underneath the Great Falls," Cat replied immediately.

"I know where that is," The Lorax responded, entering the room with the Grinch and the Oncelor trailing behind him. "I hid it there years ago, afraid that if it gets into the wrong hands...well...it might be our doom. Unless...you have it."

The Lorax moved his eyes to focus on Guy.

"What do you mean?" Guy asked the Lorax.

"The answer you're looking for might be something that I hid a long time ago," The Lorax explained to Guy.

"What did you hide?" Sam questioned with a brow raised.

The Lorax darted his glance between Cat and Sam. "Do you guys remember what you've attempted to steal five years ago?"

"Oh yeah, it's that box stuff with the magical---chemical--" Cat's sentence ended when he realized what the Lorax was talking about. "Wait a minute! You're the one who took the box!"

"What?" Sam uttered.

"Truffala Tree Forest, five years ago--the box randomly disappeared from the back of your motorcycle," Cat informed Sam.

"Wait, is that what it is?!" Sam gasped while glancing back at the Lorax.

"Yes," The Lorax answered plainly.

"Then, if this is the answer we're going for...we should head forth to the Jungle of Nool," The Grinch urged his group.

Guy sighed deeply, pondering deeply. His hand felt a burn again as he lifted his palm and stared at the symbol burning on his palm. The symbol no longer scares him...it just made him question more about what's going on. 

~.~

Jean, the mouse, scurried through the camp in search of his fox brethren. Hiding in the shadows, he spotted Michael isolated in his cage and separated from Jane and Horton with their own individual cages. The mouse quickly rushed towards the cage and squeezed through the bars. As he squeezed through the bars, he noticed Michael laying on his side on the cold floor of the cage, shivering and breathing heavily as if he's almost out of the air in his lungs.

"Michael, are you--?" The question Jean was going to ask was already answered when Michael perked his ears up and lifted his upper body slightly to gaze at his little friend. There were scars on the fox's back, almost like he's been whipped by some rope with metal teeth. Before Michael could utter a word, Jean's eyes went round in horror. "What have they done to you, brother?!"

Michael turned over to hide his back of scars but his front didn't hide any more scars. There were bruises around his ribcage and a black eye on his left eye. His left eye was half closed with a few cuts on his arms that he must have used to defend himself from the attackers. His body shifted slightly while he sat up against the cage wall but it didn't ease his pain at all.

Jean climbed up carefully onto the fox's shoulder, dodging all the cuts and scars left on the fox while noticing a bruise around Michael's neck.

Jane, the kangaroo with her kit in her pouch, gazed softly at Michael and Jean while the mouse looked up at her desperately for an answer to what happened to his friend. "They were beating him up really badly."

Jean shot a piercing glare at the cultists who were carrying around a thick rope with metal tips that would penetrate any scar on anyone's back. His brows were drawn together while he gritted his teeth into a growl.

"Those sons of yips!" Jean cursed as he turned his attention to his fox friend. "Atticus will be upset seeing you like this. We have to get you out of here."

Jean began sniffing out anything that would help him lockpick the cage while Michael unknowingly had his paw covering the safety pin. The mouse found a trail underneath the fox's paw. "Uh, Michael, could you move your paw please?"

Michael lifted his paw slightly, revealing a safety pin underneath. Jean smiled brightly in relief as he snatched the safety pin out from underneath.

"There we go," Jean whispered to himself while holding up a pin to see if it's the right size to lockpick the lock on Michael's cage.

The kangaroo kit lifted his head and gazed up at his mother. "What are they gonna do to us, Momma?"

Jean and Michael turned their attention to Jane, her kid, and Horton.

Jane couldn't find the answer that would reassure her son that everything will be okay, so she gave an unsure smile and caressed the top of his head. "I-I don't know, Rudy."

"We're probably going to die," Horton murmured underneath his breath, however he didn't realize that Jane and her son could hear him.

Jane shot a withering glare at the elephant with her fists on her hips while Rudy, her son, ducked his head with his ears bent down quickly with a soft gasp in fear. She flicked her ears in utter irritation while noticing a pink furred puffed up flower that had a tiny speck on top in Horton's grasp with his trunk.

"I wouldn't tell that to your 'new world' that you so claim exist," Jane growled lowly while pointing at the tiny speck on top of the flower.

Horton took offense to that statement with his brows furrowed. "I thought that you can't hear the people in the speck."

"It's more like the speck doesn't speak. However, if you can hear it, then you must be crazy enough to believe that it existed." Jane had her arms crossed while stating this with a direct stern glare at Horton.

"I'm not crazy. There are people living in this speck," Horton uttered defensively while extending his trunk so that she could take a closer look at the flower.

Jane rolled her eyes and leaned her head away from the flower. "Really? How big do our ears have to get to hear them? It's obvious that your ears are bigger than your skull."

"It doesn't matter how big or small your ears are. A person is a person--"

"No matter how small," Jane interrupted with a small irritable groan and her hands placed back on her hips. "I've heard it enough times before. But, Horton, I'm telling you that there are no people living in that speck."

Michael raised his paw slightly to join the conversation. "If there are people living in that speck and only Horton can hear them, do you think that maybe it has something to do with some kind of sound frequencies. Like the reason why Horton could hear them because he was close to the speck--"

"He put that flower close to my face and I still couldn't hear them," Jane pointed out with an obvious tone.

Michael pondered for a moment. "Well...do you think that they have a microphone down there or something?"

"What makes you think it's going to work? And why are we not focusing on planning our escape?" Jean probed as he looked around the cage to find some discreet way to lockpick.

Horton enlarged his eyes as if he just realized something. "You know what, I've never thought of that. Hold on." The elephant lifted the flower close to his eyes while narrowed his focus at the speck. "Do you guys have a microphone?"

Tilting his head, Horton extended his ear to hear the speck. He nodded his head as if he's understanding their language. "Okie dokie." He glanced back up at Jane, Michael, Jean, and Rudy. "Yep, they have a microphone."

With an arched brow, Jane fiddled her fingers on her hips while Rudy leaned out of the pouch eagerly to hear the speck. Suddenly, an eerie sound rang in their ears, causing Michael to whimper a bit in pain from his ears.

"Hello?! Is anyone here?!" A high-pitched voice that sounded like a chipmunk shouted from the speck.

Horton smiled brightly, even though he knew he had to be discreet since there were cultists patrolling the camp. "Yeah, I'm here...but, um, you might want to keep your voice down."

"Why?" The high-pitched voice questioned.

"Well...it's very hard to explain. Let's say that we're capture by some cult and we'll probably going to die," Horton explained briefly and quickly.

Jane had her brows furrowed, hearing the high-pitched voice perfectly clear. "Are you kidding me? We could've just done that the entire time--"

"Shh," Horton shushed her before her tone progressed any louder than a whisper.

"Guys, as much as I would love to chit-chat with the speck, we have to get out of here. We can't let them kill us," Jean urged while climbing up to the lock quickly and quietly.

"Get out of what?" The voice from the speck asked nervously.

Horton took a deep sigh. "Well, Mr. Mayor--"

"Mr. Mayor?" The group responded simultaneously in shock.

"Shh," Horton shushed the group while continuing on with his explanation. "We're in the camp where the cult captured us and well...as I said, will kill us if we don't escape."

"A cult? Do you mean like an occult?" The mayor, owning the high-pitched voice, probed further.

"Uh...no, I don't think so. I mean, they listen to the 'whispers' and glorified them as if they're gods. They also tortured people."

"Oh...so...they are an occult. What are they called?" The mayor inquired.

"The Gatherers of the Whispers," Jean answered while lockpicking the lock on Michael's cage. "That's what they are called."

"Oh yeah...that's definitely an occult," the mayor replied with a heavy sigh. "Well, they just have to make it more obvious."

Jean soon realized that the safety pin was too small to lockpick him and Michael out of this cage. "Gosh darn it! I thought I had it! Ugh...alright, I'll have to find some other way."

Jean searched for another way out quietly until he noticed the army of purple monkeys standing idle while patrolling the camp. The mouse turned to Jane quickly. "Wait, the monkeys rebel against you...because they're listening to the whispers. Can you convince them to stop listening to the whispers?"

"I-I don't know...they overthrow me for a reason," Jane stuttered while having her brow raised. "Why?"

Jean paused for a moment while glancing back at the monkeys. "I think there's a way that we could convince them."

~.~

Morton, the mouse, zoomed through the Jungle of Nool, kicking up dirt and causing the leaves to hover above the ground for a second. He knew he had to find salvation for his friend, Horton, and the animal group that he barely knew. For what felt like hours of running, Morton finally stood beside the tree trunk, bending forward and panting for air. He wiped the sweat off of his brow from the extreme humidity in the jungle and noticed pictures of the people he had no idea as to who they are. However, those people appear like they could help and having at least one of those posters with him would come handy. So, he took the one with the picture of the orange-furred Knox with his name in red bold and underlined words: **_Guy Am I_**

Becoming thirsty, the mouse zoomed towards the nearby puddle and drank the water quickly, causing him to have the hiccups. He tightened his grip on the poster and then drank the water more slowly this time, avoiding the hiccups. He heard footsteps, perking his ears up quickly. The speedy mouse followed the sounds with the paper in his paw. He scurried up to the tree with vines and spied on the mysterious figures moving around in the jungle. There's a tall black cat with a colossal red hat with white two thick stripes with a goldish bowl balancing on it, a short orange-furred guardian with a yellow bushy mustache and brows, a green who with his brown dog traveling beside him, a short who with a small red hat with a miniature girl with long brown hair and pink fur walking beside him, and an orange-furred Knox with a brown crumpled hat traveling through the jungle.

_Wait a second!_

Morton quickly glanced down at the paper to see the picture of the same Knox he's seeing in front of him. He never knew that this miracle would come that quickly. He glanced up from the paper desperately as he tossed it aside to leap off of the tree. He landed onto the brown crumpled hat, letting it go lopsided on the Knox's head.

"What the--!" the goldfish gasped as the Knox grabbed the hat and took it off to notice Morton on it.

The cat tilted his head. "I believe the critter is desperate."

Morton panted after long hours of running and then sighed heavily. "Are you--Guy Am I?"

"That's me," The Knox, Guy, uttered nervously.

"Perfect!" Morton exclaimed happily, breathing in and out desperately. "We need your help!"

"What's going on?" Guy asked with a raised brow.

"I'm sorry, we?" the green who added with a bit of a stern voice.

Morton nodded his head. "Yeah, my friend, Horton, needs help along with the animal group that I barely know."

"Animal group?" The short guardian muttered underneath his breath.

"Yeah! Actually, not everyone in that group are animals. I mean...there's a little girl," Morton included, trying to remember who the little girl was.

"Little girl?" Everyone questioned simultaneously.

"Yeah, she had that long red hair in a tight ponytail and a cute little pink dress--"

Guy gasped in sudden realization. "E.B!!!"

Guy dashed through the jungle with Morton hanging onto his hat.

"Wow, you reacted faster than I expected," Morton muttered underneath his breath while clinging tightly onto the crumpled hat.

"Guy! Wait!" The cat shouted while chasing after the Knox. The group soon pursued after them.

~.~

Guy never sprinted so fast in his life. He knew that E.B was in trouble--and the animal group, he could guess who they were. He put his hat back on his head while the small blue plump mouse, who's a bit fatter than Jean was, climbed down to his shoulder. He finally approached the camp with broadened eyes in shock, staying hidden in the bushes.

"Down there." The mouse pointed downward at the camp with a whisper. Guy glanced down at what he's pointing at to notice the camp being overruned by those cult maniacs with the cursed symbol. He also spotted a huge gray elephant, trapped in his own individual cage next to a purple kangaroo with her kit on her pouch. His eyes widened when he spotted someone else familiar in his own cage.

"Michael?" Guy gasped in recognition, although he could barely recognize the fox. The fox was all bruised up and one of his legs was wobbling from standing up for too long. "Wait a minute, if Michael is here...that means that Goat and Jean must be here too."

"Hey, Goat is the one with a weird ear-piercing, right?" The mouse responded to Guy's random rambling.

"Yeah."

The rustling of the bush sounded behind him as he turned his head to notice Cat tumbling out of the bushes. His hat was covered in dirt while leaves were stuck onto his black fur. He shook the leaves off with a plastered smile.

"So...what did I miss?" Cat asked with the most dramatic tone while licking his paw to wipe the dirt off of his ear.

Guy gave a deadpanned stare at Cat before the group tumbled out of the bushes behind Cat, panting.

"You know, could you give us a little warning before you start taking off like that?" Grinch grunted while stretching his limbs from running too fast.

Lorax peeled his eyes over at the campsite and then shifted his focus on Morton. "Is this what you're talking about?"

Morton nodded his head. "Yeah. They're down there."

"Should we go for it?" Sam asked his group.

"No, that's too risky," Grinch replied while shaking his head.

"Well...what can we do at this point?" Karlos asked with his brow raised.

Gabriella pondered for a second, trying to think up of a good idea. Then, it clicked in her brain. "Dad! You said you can disguise people, right?"

Cat cornered a sly smirk at his daughter. "Why yes, I can...what's your plan?"

~.~

Vicky scrutinized the lock of the cell that they're in while Goat leaned on the bars. E.B comforted the scared chickeraffe, who's in a cute puffball, warbling nervously. E.B noticed the barred window that seemed to have a perfect length for her to squeeze through the bars. Her smile brightened like she had an idea.

"Mr. Jenkins, boost me up," E.B replied excitedly while pointing at the barred window and climbed up on his head.

Mr. Jenkins squawked happily and extended his neck over to the barred window as the little girl spied outside behind the hut.

Goat noticed E.B ready to climb out with eyes widened with worry. "Niña, what are you doing?"

E.B turned to Goat with a small bright smile. "I have an idea!"

Vicky shifted her focus on the little girl. "What, sweetie?"

Goat inwardly groaned in irritation at Vicky's response to E.B.

"I'm going to get the keys and get us out of here. I can fit through those bars," E.B referred to the barred window.

"That's too risky," Vicky responded in a hushed tone.

"But, I don't want to wait here to die. We got to do something about it," E.B remarked in a persuasive tone.

Goat pondered for a moment. "She does have a point."

"Atticus--"

"Do you mind not calling me that?

"Why?" Vicky questioned with a raised brow. "You let Michael and Jean call you that--"

"Because they're my friends...you're not," Goat stated simply with an irritated gaze at the vixen.

Vicky furrowed her brows while twitching her ears in irritation.

"Look, there's no time to argue," E.B determined before Vicky was about to say a word. She squeezed herself through the barred window. "I'll be back."

"Wait--!"

E.B left the hut before any of them could make an objection. Both Goat and Vicky sighed deeply simultaneously as they gave each other deadpanned stares. Mr. Jenkins darted his anxious gaze between the vixen and the old goat.

Vicky dug her paw into her pockets of her white sweater and pulled out a couple of pins.

Goat had his brow arched. "What are you doing?"

"Lockpicking us out of here." Vicky quietly stuck the pins into the lock while trying to focus on it.

"You're telling me that you have those the entire time you've been in here and you didn't bother to share it before E.B. left," Goat growled, almost criticizing her.

"Well, I was going to say it before E.B left us in here. And, of course, you obviously have a problem with me," Vicky stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Oh really? What gave you the indication?" Goat sarcastically implied with his arms crossed.

"Well, you obviously glare at me for every second I come here and criticize me--"

"I was being sarcastic."

Vicky slowly turned to glare at Goat. "What's your problem?"

"Why do you care?"

"Well, because I don't like the death glares you gave me," Vicky responded with her arms crossed.

Mr. Jenkins warbled in confusion with his head tilted to the side.

"I give death glares to everyone. You're not the first, zorra."

"Then, what's your problem with everyone?" Vicky probed further.

"Why do you want to know so much?"

"Because it's obvious that there's something wrong with you."

"There's nothing wrong with me--"

"Yes, there is and you know it. You just don't want to talk about it."

"Do you really want to know why I don't like you? Because I don't trust you. You almost convinced us that you lied about being our side and then you lied about you being on their side and all the sudden, you are a good guy when you were supposed to be on the bad side. This makes me unsure whether you're going to double-cross us next or you're just lying to us right now. I don't even know if you're going to break our trust and break Michael's heart! So, here, that's why I don't like you."

Goat dropped his ears down and turned away from Vicky with an irritated gruff.

Vicky took a moment to ponder the words spoken to her. "Break Michael's heart?"

Goat enlarged his eyes to realize what he just said and then turned to her, trying to appear unphased by her realization but it didn't work. "Uh...yeah."

"Why would you be worried about breaking Michael's heart?"

"Because...Michael's...naive. So, he, uh, tends to trust people who might stab him in the back in the end...or something like that."

Vicky raised her brow higher. "Are you jealous?"

"No!" Goat denied but his cheeks were burning red.

Vicky's lips widened into a smirk. "Oh really? You seemed like a jealous 'friend' in Michael's eyes."

As soon as Vicky turned to lockpick the lock of their cell, Goat's eyes flared up in boiling anger ready to explode from within. His heart pounded harder in his chest while he had the urge to strangle her in the cell. There were no witnesses, Michael's not around...now's a good time to strangle her. However, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard screeching from a chalkboard. He turned to see Mr. Jenkins marking up another point for Vicky in the board that Jean used to hold to score between him and Vicky.

Goat flinched his ears in irritation. "Seriously, you too?"

Mr. Jenkins squawked like he's laughing at Goat. Goat gruffed and let go of his urge to strangle the vixen. Vicky began to lockpick the lock, her focus narrowed on her pins.

~.~

"We found them!" The whole camp heard a shout as everyone turned to the group of purple monkeys with their spears pointed at Sam and Guy. Michael and Jean broadened their eyes in complete shock.

"Oh no, they got Guy and Sam," Jean whispered to Michael.

"We found them near the river and capture them!" One of the monkeys explained in a familiar British accent.

"You did all of this without fighting?" The priest turned slightly to Guy who just stood straight up. It's a minor flaw that would be overlooked by anyone who wouldn't know Guy all too well but Jean and Michael noticed this and became bothered by it.

"Wait, isn't Guy always slouching?" Michael asked Jean, knowing Guy all too well by now while the group bragged about they caught the infamous Guy and Sam.

Jean shrugged his shoulders as he noticed the purple monkey behind Guy slouching a bit. "I don't know."

They turned their heads to notice E.B hiding in the bushes and peeking out to see a monkey guard with the keys.

Jean and Michael clenched their teeth together while darting their gaze back and forth between E.B and the guard. They waved their paws to signal E.B to run out of the camp before she gets caught. However, E.B shushed them and skulked towards the guard with the keys to get them out. Worried that she's going to get caught, they tried to mouth the words saying, 'Get out of here now' but E.B didn't pay attention to her surroundings. Michael began to panic internally while circling in the cell with Jean on his shoulder, attempting to calm the panicking fox down.

However, Guy and the rest of the group noticed this while shifting his focus on the priest.

"You know, your religion is ridiculous," Guy boldly told the group, which surprised E.B a bit from knowing her father figure too well.

"What made you say that?" The priest growled at Guy as E.B continued to sneak towards the guard, who's facing Guy.

"Well, you listen to some random whispers and you do whatever the whispers tell you. Who in the world whispers these things in your ears? Dr. Seuss?!" Guy snarled back at the priest while E.B grabbed the keys from the guard's belt carefully. She finally got the keys with a soft quiet sigh of relief and headed quickly towards the bush.

Meanwhile, out of the corner of Sam's eyes, a figure with the three green scoped mask on and a bloody lab coat just stared at him, sending shivers down on his spine. The looming figure stepped closer to him, almost matching his height except he's a bit taller. Sam's heart raced when he noticed a saw blade on one hand and a claw on the other. The figure eyed on him, seeming confused in his stance. He then lifted his gaze on Sam's red hat and used his claw to pick it up. The group noticed this while getting tensed up from the sudden action taken by the figure known as the Biologist.

The Biologist examined the red hat further and then shifted his focus on Sam staring up at him with confusion written in his eyes. The Biologist gently caressed Sam's fluffy cheek with his claw, letting the poor small who shake with absolute fear.

"S-Samuel?" The Biologist uttered the name without a glitch in his tone.

Sam raised his brow while leaning his face away from the claw's touch. "Y-Yes?"

The slouching purple monkey had his eyes widened in sudden realization at the Biologist.

While the group was distracting the cultists with arguments of existence, E.B slowly snuck towards the cage where Michael and Jean were trapped in and unlocked the cell quietly. The door squeaked to open as Michael stepped through quickly. He snatched the keys out of E.B's hand and had her go behind him for protection purposes. He then used the keys to unlock Jane out of her own cell next to his.

Jane, the kangaroo with her kit in the pouch, smiled widely in relief as the door opened. She hopped through quietly and decided to take the keys discreetly from Michael to unlock Horton out of his cage with his flower held in his trunk. Although, the group of monkeys, who did not apprehend Guy and Sam, noticed this while furrowing their brows.

"Hey!" one of the monkeys shouted in anger.

Jane unlocked the door quickly as Horton stormed out of his cage, causing a commotion in the camp. Everyone turned to see Jane and Horton fleeing into the forest with Morton passing through the camp to catch up to them while Michael picked up E.B with the keys in his hands still and headed for the hut that had Vicky, Mr. Jenkins, and Goat locked up.

"Fire!" The priest shouted his order as he turned towards Guy, who threw a punch at his face.

The Biologist stood there, clutching at Sam's hat and paralyzed. The group of monkeys, who 'captured' Guy and Sam, began to attack the men about to fire at Michael, E.B, and Jean but they're on Guy's side. The monkeys who had no involvement with Guy and Sam's 'capture' let out an outcry.

Meanwhile, Michael dodged all the bullets with E.B in his arm and Jean holding onto the fur on his shoulder. He dove into the hut where Goat, Vicky, and Mr. Jenkins were held at. Vicky successfully lockpicked herself out of the cell and opened the cell door to notice Michael striding in with a bunch of bruises and scars all over him.

Goat had his eyes widened in horror when he first saw this and then anger flared up again but this time...it was stronger. "What did they do to you?!"

"That's not important, Atticus," Michael muttered while throwing away the keys that he'd been holding onto.

Vicky hurried out of the cell with the chickeraffe sprinting ahead of her and out of the hut. Goat was about to follow after the vixen until he stumbled onto the bars of the cell.

Michael noticed this with a gasp. "Atticus!"

"I-I'm fine!" Goat shouted while looking at his wound. He's bleeding still...he couldn't make any further movements from the wound worsening. He glanced up at Michael, Vicky, Jean, and E.B. with a worried gaze. "Get out of here! All of you! Before you get caught again!"

Michael glanced at Vicky while guiding E.B to the vixen. "Vicky, get E.B somewhere safe! I'll help Atticus!"

"Michael--" Goat groaned in pain when trying to get out of the cell.

Vicky nodded her head in understanding and held E.B's hand. Jean hopped over to the vixen's shoulder as she and E.B ran out of the hut.

Michael quickly strode back to the cell and helped Goat up on his hind legs. "Come on, man. Let's get out of here."

"Michael...don't--"

They heard the bullets rippling from outside as Michael swiftly picked Goat up off of his back hooves bridal style.

"I got you," Michael whispered as he ran out of the hut. He noticed the monkeys that captured Guy and Sam fought along with Guy and Sam. The fox was baffled by this but he had no time to ask questions as he carried wounded Goat in his arms out of the camp.

~.~

Michellee, McWinkle, and Chad heard a commotion not too far from them while traveling through the Jungle of Nool.

"What's that sound?" Chad asked nervously.

McWinkle shrugged his shoulders while moving his eyes around his surroundings cautiously. "I don't know. But we have to be careful."

Michellee squinted her eyes through the forest to notice a vixen guiding the familiar little girl through the jungle. She gasped sharply. "Elanabeth!"

Michellee took off without second thought, causing concern from Chad and McWinkle.

"Michellee! Wait!" McWinkle ran after Michellee with Chad following them.

Michellee ran through the jungle, not caring about any dangers of critters around her. All she cared about was E.B. At that moment, she forgot all logic and tears just poured out of her eyes.

"Elanabeth!" Michellee called out again but this time, the little girl heard her.

"Mom?!" E.B recognized as the vixen let go of the little girl, who's now running to her mother. The little girl and her mother finally ran into each other with Michellee tackling her daughter onto the ground and hugging her daughter so tightly that she swore up and down that she won't ever let her go. The vixen and Jean watched this with smiles on their faces.

"Oh, are you okay, baby?" Michellee babbled as she pulled away from her daughter and checked for bruises and scratches. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Mom," E.B responded with a soft chuckle. "The animals found me!"

Michellee gazed up at the vixen, who just nervously waved at her. She stood up quickly and hugged her with sobs. "Thank you, thank you!"

"Um...it's not a problem," the vixen replied with a nice genuine smile.

McWinkle and Chad approached the scene from behind Michellee.

"E.B! You're okay!" McWinkle responded happily while hugging the little girl.

"Yeah, I'm okay!" E.B replied in excitement.

Chad readjusted his glasses. "I, um, had no idea that Guy had a daughter."

McWinkle lost his smile and gave a deadpanned stare at Chad.

"I mean, Guy has been keeping a secret of having a daughter for a long time...I mean, how could he do that without his parents knowing--?"

"Guy's her stepdad," McWinkle explained simply.

"Oh...well, that does explain a lot of things. No, wait, actually, it explains everything."

There's a brief awkward pause until they heard the rustling of the bushes behind the vixen. They all turned around to notice Michael carrying Goat through the bushes. The vixen and Jean couldn't hide their smirks when watching Michael carrying Goat bridal style.

However, Michellee, McWinkle, and Chad stared at Michael and Goat in shock.

"What happened to you?!" Michellee gasped with concern taking over her tone, mostly aiming her question at Michael.

"Oh...he's been shot but he'll be okay," Michael reassured Michellee with a soft smile.

Goat examined Michael's bruised up body and knew that there were scars all around his back from being flogged and beaten to death on top of black eyes. "Um...I think she's asking about you, zorro."

Michael raised his brow and then nodded his head in understanding. "Oh...right. I'm fine."

McWinkle arched a brow. "What's the commotion going on behind you guys?"

"Uh...well, Guy and Sam were fighting those group of monkeys--"

"WHAT?!?" McWinkle and Michellee screamed as McWinkle stormed through the group to run to the commotion.

"Stay with your daughter! I'm going to get both Guy and Sam out of there!" McWinkle commanded Michellee as he strode through the jungle towards the commotion. Chad quickly followed after him.

The vixen glanced at Michellee and E.B. "I think I know where to hide that's nearby."

"Then, take us to it!" Michellee demanded as she picked up her daughter. The group ran through the forest and up towards the cave. 

~.~

McWinkle and Chad rushed towards the camp full of cultists and monkeys fighting Guy, Sam, and the other gang of monkeys that 'captured' Guy and Sam.

Chad watched the commotion going on with chattering teeth. "What are we going to do?!"

"You stay here! I'll help Guy and Sam!"

"WAIT--!"

McWinkle bolted into the battlefield to help Guy and Sam fight the cultists before Chad could say anything else.

Meanwhile, The Biologist noticed Sam about to be shot down by one of the cultists. He dropped Sam's red hat he's been holding for a while on the ground and snatched the cultist's wrist with his claw. The cultists glanced up just in time to notice the sawblade slicing through his skull. Blood splattering everywhere, freaking Sam out with his pupils shrunk in terror. However, he acknowledged the fact that he's lucky that it wasn't him getting cut by the Biologist. The cultist skull bled out into the dirt with a small bit of his pink brain showing. The Biologist turned to stare at Sam with his three green scope eyes.

" **A̷r̷e̸ ̴y̴o̴u̶ ̷o̸k̶a̸y̵?̶** " The Biologist checked on Sam, his voice a bit glitchy.

Sam nodded his head slightly due to shock. He quickly picked up his hat and put back on. Suddenly, the Biologist's mask began electrocuting his head, causing him to scream out in pain. Sam watched with horror as the Biologist collapsed on his knees.

"We need to retreat!" One of the cultists shouted as two of the cultists grabbed the Biologist's arms and pulled him away from Sam.

" **Ṅ̵̨o̷̳͠!̸̬̭̏ ̸͙͛͌Ŷ̵͉̕o̴̫̣͂u̴̪̬͂ ̴̺̌̒l̴͔̱͋͐i̶̩͘ě̵͚̕d̵̢̊͆ ̶̫͚͌t̸͚̗̆͠ò̵̲̙ ̴̼̩̾̊m̷̨̭̍̈́ḙ̶͈!̸͉̂ ̴̞̆Ĥ̵͇̳̈́ě̷̥ ̷̥̪̿i̷̢̍̐ś̷̝̰ ̶̗̮̾ā̶͚ḻ̵͔̉i̸̻͌͝v̵͙͖̔̊e̶̩̕!̶̱͌́͜ ̶͓̼̍H̸̠̭͝e̷͓͆ ̸̪͋̌i̴̜̻̽̀ş̴̫͌ ̴͉̿a̶̜̓ĺ̶͕i̷̱̹̐v̴̡̝̔ȩ̴͙̾!̸̦̪͒̑!̴̰̥̌̂!̶̜̚** " The Biologist sputtered while suffocating in his mask. The cultists dragged him towards the black vehicles that swooped in during the fight. They threw the Biologist at the back of the truck and locked it. Sam heard banging and crying from the Biologist inside of the truck as the cultists quickly got into the trucks and drove away from the camp, leaving only the purple monkeys to fight them.

The familiar chickeraffe scurried through the camp, gobbling like a panicked chicken running for its life. Sam noticed this with a big childish grin on his face.

"Mr. Jenkins!" Sam called as the chickeraffe switched his gaze on his old friend and happily scampered towards him. The animal tackled Sam with a big smile on his beak, licking Sam's face to show delight in seeing him.

Sam giggled at Mr. Jenkins while being licked on the face. "I'm happy to see you too, pal!"

McWinkle joined in fighting the monkeys and throwing them away from Sam and Guy. He was soon joined by three other 'monkeys' as they took off their disguises to reveal The Grinch, The Lorax, and Gabriella.

McWinkle had his eyes widened in shock. "What the--?!"

"No time to explain!" The Lorax shouted as he used his powers to push the monkeys away from them.

As they were fighting the monkeys, Chad noticed one of the monkeys sneaking up behind Guy. He breathed in and out heavily to see that no one was noticing this as he fogged up his glasses, cleaned them up a bit despite being cracked, and then put them back on. He charged through the camp and jumped on the monkey that was sneaking up to his old friend from high school. Both Chad and the monkey tumbled through the camp as the monkey kicked him against the cage that Horton was trapped in. The monkey took out his spear to stab Chad with but, before the monkey could take this action, Chad heard a crack from the monkey's neck without anyone's hand touching it. The monkey collapsed on the ground, revealing another 'monkey' who had a grumpy look on his face.

"Uh...thanks...monkey with supernatural powers--"

The 'monkey' took off his disguise to reveal that it's Guy. "It's me, Chad!"

Chad screamed at first until he realized that it was Guy disguising himself as a monkey. "Oh...uh, hi, Guy. Wait a minute, if you're the monkey then--"

Chad glanced behind Guy to notice the other 'Guy' was getting licked by Mr. Jenkins, laughing his head off.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Stop it! Stop it! Birdie, stop!" The other 'Guy' squealed like a little girl.

Guy turned around to notice Mr. Jenkins with broadened eyes and a bright smile. "Hey!"

Mr. Jenkins stopped licking the other 'Guy' and noticed Guy in his monkey suit, warbling and tilting his head with absolute confusion.

"Papa?" Mr. Jenkins squawked meekly.

Guy took off of his monkey suit while the other 'Guy' took his disguise off to reveal it is the Cat in the Hat, who's wiping his face from the licks given by Mr. Jenkins.

"Papa?" Cat probed as the chickeraffe glanced at him in pure shock and began to squawk with panic. The monkeys began to retreat out of the camp, knowing that they couldn't win against the people with powers, weapons, and wit.

Guy walked up to Mr. Jenkins while petting his neck to calm him down. "Hey, calm down, Mr. Jenkins. It's okay."

"Awww, no wonder the chickeraffe called you papa," Cat purred while eyeing on Guy.

Guy rolled his eyes at Cat while McWinkle noticed him.

"What the yip?!" McWinkle shouted at Guy.

Gabriella glanced at McWinkle. "Oh...we just played an old switcheroo on people. It wasn't intended to tricking you guys."

McWinkle furrowed his brow. "Then, why play the old switcheroo?"

"So, that we wouldn't die," Grinch explained plainly.

"We're trying to save everyone in the camp and, uh, surprisingly worked out well...even if it did not fall into most of the plan," The Lorax stated with a nervous giggle.

Chad stood up and approached his group. "Well, I say that we have to find the ladies and the animals before the monkeys come back with more arms and...cultists."

"That sounds like a good idea," Gabriella replied while nodding her head in agreement.

"Well, do you know where they are specifically?" Grinch asked both Chad and McWinkle with a raised brow.

"Uh...well, we can start searching--"

"So, you don't know?" Grinch probed Chad with a raised brow.

Gabriella glanced around to notice that they're missing people. "Hey, where's Karlos and Max?"

"Oh, I put them in my hat before we jump into this situation," Cat answered while taking his hat off of his head. "Hold on, let me pull them out."

Cat grunted a bit as he lifted the fishbowl out of the hat with Karlos in it.

"It's about time you take us out. I have no idea how long you guys are fighting those---whatever you call them," Karlos groaned a bit in irritation.

Cat set Karlos's fishbowl down and then pulled out the familiar brown dog, who's growling at Cat in impatience.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you hate my guts because I'm a cat," Cat growled a bit as he set Max down and lets the dog run to the Grinch.

McWinkle sighed deeply. "Alright, since everyone's gathered now, we can find the others before the sun goes down."

They heard rustling from the bushes as the group turned their heads to see the familiar purple kangaroo coming towards them.

"Are you guys looking for the rest of your friends?" The purple kangaroo, Jane, asked the group.

McWinkle nodded his head slightly with an arched brow. "Yes."

"Follow me. I know where they are." Jane headed back through the jungle with the group following her with some sort of hesitation but they made sure they keep up with her.

~.~

Michellee stroke her daughter's head while sitting on the boulder inside of the cave with Vicky, Michael, Goat, Horton, Morton, and Jean. Horton and Morton kept a watch outside of the cave for anyone who was either their friend or their foe while Vicky was stitching up Michael's deep wounds with Jean watching in pure fear and a tiny bit disgusted.

"Ow!" Michael whimpered, biting his bottom lip to cope with the pain. Goat laid there next to him, in extreme concern.

"Are you sure you're helping him?" Goat asked Vicky but not out of criticism, just greatly concern.

Vicky nodded her head in reassurance. "Yeah. If we leave his wounds open, he would be bleeding out some more."

"I-I'm fine, guys--ow!" Michael yelped when Vicky stuck a needle on his fur to stitch up one of his deep wounds.

"Hold still," Vicky cautioned as she tugged the thread gently.

Jean shifted his worried stare up at the vixen. "How long will this take?"

"Depending on how many scars I have to stitch up...in that case...there's about fifteen scars on his back," Vicky counted while gently caressing Michael's back, causing the fox to wince a bit.

Jean hissed through his clenched teeth. "Ouch."

Goat furrowed his brow. "Wait, how come you're still standing? I mean, you were able to stand up, pick me up, and carried me all the way over here without even breaking a sweat. How does that happen?"

"It's called being young, Atticus," Jean responded plainly, moving his gaze at Goat.

"Indicating that I'm old?" Goat inquired with a challenging tone.

"I didn't say you're old. But thank you for pointing that out."

"I'm not old."

"Really? How old are you?"

There's a distant pause as Goat sighed deeply.

"Thirty."

"Get out of here!" Jean shouted with disbelief. "You don't look thirty! You looked fifty!"

"I don't sleep as often as you people. That's why I look like an old goat."

"That...actually makes sense."

Goat rolled his eyes at Jean and glanced away for a second until Michael whimpered a bit in pain, catching his attention.

"It's going to be over soon, Michael. Just five more," Vicky soothed while rubbing the fox's shoulder in comfort.

Michael smiled softly at Vicky, who's exchanging a soft smile back. Goat noticed this while rolling his eyes a bit at their 'loving' gazes at each other.

_**He's not jealous. He's not jealous at all. Is he jealous? No, no! He's not jealous! There are a billion people in the whole world that Michael could've to choose from...anyone at all! Why, out of all of the billion people in the world, would he choose Vicky? Why does it have to be Vicky? Goat was puzzled by these questions. He didn't seem to trust her enough to be with Michael. Wait, why is he so protective over Michael? The fox is a grown adult...capable of making his own decisions. But...Goat couldn't help but worry for the fox. What if Vicky was just another Sandra? His heart would break before finding his real soulmate. What if Vicky saw him as Sandra saw him? Stupid and incompetent. Why can't these women see his friend the way Goat sees him? Kind, loyal, funny, strong, and brave--why can't they just see that instead of his flaws? He may be eccentric, clumsy, naive, and gullible but those flaws never outweighed his bright personality in Goat's eyes. But most importantly, why can't Michael see himself the way his own friend sees him? Why does he always think of himself as a monster? He hadn't done anything to hurt him or Jean or even E.B. All he did that may be considered 'monstrous' was killing Dylan but that's beyond his control...it wasn't his fault. The question is...who's behind the fox whistle?** _

Goat groaned deeply from all of the questions burrowing themselves in his head.

_**Okay, Okay, I'll shut up now.** _

"Are you okay, Atticus?" Michael's voice spoke up from behind him.

The goat turned his head to glance at Michael, who's biting his bottom lip from Vicky stitching up his scars. He nodded his head with a soft smile. "I'm fine, Michael. I just got a headache."

"Why don't you get yourself some sleep," Vicky suggested softly while focusing on stitching up Michael's wound.

Goat shot a deadpan stare at her. "I don't need to sleep."

"Uh...with those wrinkles, you look like you do," Jean piped up from Vicky's shoulder. "Besides...you said so yourself that you don't get so much sleep and that's why you look like you're a hundred years old."

"Jean--"

"They're in here," Jane interrupted as she entered the cave with Guy, Sam, Cat, Gabriella, Lorax, Grinch, Karlos in his fishbowl on top of Cat's hat, Max, McWinkle, Chad, and Mr. Jenkins behind her.

Michellee and E.B had their smiles widened as they ran towards Guy and Sam.

"Guy!" Michellee cried as she zoomed over and hugged him tightly. Guy embraced her back tightly, burying his head into her brown hair. E.B joined in along with Sam as one happy family again. Everyone around them smiled at the sight.

Cat opened his arms wide. "Can I join?!"

Guy, Michellee, E.B, and Sam stared up at Cat, confusion written on their faces. This discouraged Cat while he slowly withdrew his arms.

"Alrighty--"

"Yeah, you can join," Guy replied meekly while gesturing Cat to join in.

Cat had his eyes widened from this reply, surprised. "Uh...okay. Sure!"

He had a big smile on his face as he zoomed in and hugged Guy, Sam, Michellee, and E.B.

Gabriella stood there with a soft smile, but it's mostly at Sam and how he embraced his loved ones. Her cheeks heat up for every time she thought about that Sam I Am. For some reason, despite his recklessness, she felt safe around him. Why was that? Sam noticed Gabriella standing away from them and watching them. Not wanting to exclude anyone, he reached his hand out for her to grab. She chuckled lightly while staring into his eyes lovingly. When she grabbed his hand, Sam pulled her into the family hug, causing her to gasp in shock when being yanked into the hug. The warmth of their hugs filled her with joy...like she's finally a part of something...something big.

Mr. Jenkins warbled and began to wrap its long neck around the hugging family, causing them to giggle at his purring. He licked everyone's face, causing them to laugh. When he got to Gabriella, he licked her face along with her neck, letting her giggle at the sight. She backed away from them before it got too much. Then, something strange happened.

A peel of her pink fur on the side of the neck barely stuck out from Mr. Jenkin's slobber. Sam noticed this first before anyone else. He saw a strange birthmark on the side of her neck. It wasn't the cursed symbol or anything but it's almost the size of his palm. Apparently, Gabriella saw that Sam noticed it and quickly covered it up before anyone else saw it.

"Well, I gotta go back to the jungle," Jane announced to everyone as Horton stood by her with Morton on top of his head.

"Why?" Morton asked her with a raised brow.

Jane sighed. "I'm going back and take back the jungle from those cultists. I have to find some way to convince the animals that those people are horrible."

"That's suicide, Jane. They'll kill you," Goat cautioned with care in his tone.

Jane stared at Goat, surprised at his reaction. Then she softened her gaze at him."I have to try. And I think I know how." She slowly turned to Horton, who's holding his flower with the speck nesting on top of it.

Horton darted his eyes everywhere. "What?"

"Since your speck could talk...maybe they'll be convinced that I was wrong about you and your flower and that...that how I led was wrong. Maybe if that happens...hopefully, they'll see," Jane explained as Rudy, her son, popped his head out of the pouch.

"Do you think they'll listen, Mom?" Rudy asked his mother.

"I hope so," Jane replied softly as she glanced up at Horton and Morton. "I'm sorry for all those years I was hunting you guys for those voices in the speck. I hope you can forgive me."

Horton pondered for a moment and then beamed softly at her. "Forgiven and forgotten."

"Yep. We're cool," Morton added with a soft smile.

"Thank you." Jane noticed the sun going down in the sky outside of the cave. "I think we should get going."

"Yep." Horton nodded his head in agreement.

Morton gazed down at the elephant's eyes. "I concur."

"Atticus," Jane called out to Goat, catching his attention. "Make sure you don't lose them."

"I will," Goat replied while nodding his head. He pondered deeply, his heart hurt for some reason. "Jane...I'm-I'm really sorry for what I put you through."

"I know," Jane responded softly with a frown. "I--I need time."

"I understand," Goat acknowledged gently. "Just be careful out there."

"You too. Good luck to you guys," Jane replied as she hopped towards the jungle with Horton trailing behind her.

Everyone bid Jane, Horton, Rudy, and Morton farewell while watching them disappeared into the jungle.

Sam then had his brow raised. "Atticus?"

Goat sighed deeply. "Oh boy."

"There's a lot of stuff we need to catch up on," Vicky indicated with a bright smile.

As everyone began visiting each other and catching up, Sam was the only person frozen in his stance.

There were a million questions in his head. About Guy's powers and whether or not it will consume him, about the Biologist's recognition and reasons why he wanted to protect Sam, and about Gabriella's strange birthmark and why she kept it hidden. So many questions whirled around his head...like a Whirpool of Thoughts. And he had no idea how to get out of it.

~.~

It was late at night where Vicky was on top of the cave, gazing up at the stars brightening up the night sky. She seemed deep in thought about a million things. While everyone was sleeping, she picked a flower and fiddled with its blue petals. She heard someone climbing up behind her, causing the vixen to turn her head. It's Michael approaching behind her with a grunt from climbing up on top of the cave.

"What are you doing up?" Vicky asked with a raised brow.

Michael sighed deeply to finally relax next to her. "I couldn't sleep."

"Nightmares?"

"Eh...that and well, I guess I'm still awake from what happened earlier today."

"What happened earlier today?" Vicky questioned with concern in her voice.

Michael sighed again but this time...sadly. "Well, I was passed out by the number of times those men beat me up. I'm kind of scared that if I fall back asleep or wake up from sleep...somehow, I'll end up back there and getting beat up. I don't know if that's just me being afraid or--"

"It's trauma," Vicky softly uttered. "It's...It's one of those things that you go through in your mind. It makes an impact on you for some reason. Sometimes you don't know if they'll ever go away."

"How do you know?"

Vicky twisted the corner of her mouth downward.

Michael gasped a bit. "Oh...uh, sensitive topic?"

"Yeah...it's...you know what, how about I tell you a story?"

"O-Okay."

Vicky sighed deeply and sadly. The soft music began to play as she gazed out into the stars. She began to sing:

" _Once upon a time,_

_There was a vixen,_

_Who fell in love with a fox._

_A love that binds them together...forever._

_She had everything she could have ever wanted._

_Having two strong arms wrapped around her._

_A fire in her heart that can never be extinguished._

_The butterflies in her stomach are gone!_

_Hearts soar through the clouds._

_Like a prayer answered by God._

_Souls intertwined forever in spirit,_

_Hanging onto the wings of an angel._

_A family was born._

_Happy and loving._

_These miracles that they're blessed with._

_The vixen couldn't be any happier._

_She had everything that she could've ever wanted._

_Having three little angels playing in the garden._

_An embrace that could never wither._

_That could never fade away._

_Hearts soar through the clouds._

_Like a prayer answered by God._

_Souls intertwined forever in spirit,_

_Hanging onto the wings of an angel._

_A storm passed by..._

_Those sounds blinded her._

_Those screams were so familiar._

_Blood seeped on the floor._

_Lifeless bodies sprawled on the floor..._

_And she's the only one standing._

_While the blessings from Heaven faded away._

_Her gun was the only thing she held._

_She had everything that she could've ever wanted._

_But she lost them now._

_A moment that vanished away._

_Time she could not take back._

_Hearts soar through the clouds._

_Like a prayer answered from God._

_She can only look up to the skies,_

_And watched her beloved family hanging on the wings of an angel._ "

She concluded her song with a sad gaze at the ground.

Michael had his eyes widened. "Oh gosh, Vicky...that poor vixen. I mean, she has everything and to lose it all--"

"That vixen was me, Michael," Vicky uttered softly while shifting her focus on Michael.

Michael had his jaw dropped slightly agape. "I-I'm so sorry."

"Well, that's the dark secret."

Michael pondered for a moment. "Man, I thought I had dark secrets."

"What were your dark secrets?"

"Well...uh, I dated a chicken once," Michael replied with a stutter.

Vicky tried to hold in her laughter while Michael just rolled his eyes teasingly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know...it's stupid."

"No. It's adorable actually. I, um, dated a rabbit once...that did not go well," Vicky replied with a story that related to his.

Michael laughed a bit. "Really?"

"Yeah."

They both laughed with each other, enjoying each other's company. They exchanged soft gazes until Vicky peeled her gaze away from the fox's and back at the starlit sky.

"It's getting late," Vicky indicated.

"Can I stay up here with you?" Michael asked softly.

Vicky's cheeks reddened a bit while she shook it off. "Be my guest."

Both Michael and Vicky gazed up at the stars with the vixen leaning into the fox slightly. Michael, at first, was shocked that she would get close to him but then a smile came back on his face.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Vicky ignited the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah, it is," Michael replied while staring at Vicky for a brief moment and then moving his gaze up at the stars. 

**_To Be Continued..._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: The song used in this episode is called "In My Daughter's Eyes" by Taraji P. Henson.


	13. Episode Thirteen: The Door of Secrets

_**Episode Thirteen: The Door of Secrets** _

The night was still young in the cave in the Jungle of Nool. Everyone slept peacefully...well, except a few people. Cat rested his eyes but his mind was still wide awake. Goat tried to sleep but he kept tossing and turning with Jean curled up next to him. Guy was trembling in his sleep, his arms holding loosely around Michellee. Michellee couldn't sleep at all. It's not because of Guy or anyone else though. She thought long and hard about what Murray told her before she, McWinkle, and Chad left the farmhouse.

_"_ _There's a secret cave in the Jungle of Nool. It lies underneath the Great Falls full of secrets and treasures. Within this cave, there's an answer to Guy's powers."_

_"An answer?"_

_"Why yes. Believe me when I tell you that you might find something that can enhance your lover's powers, helping him conquer his nightmares like a god. In fact, it might help him conquer anything like a god."_

_"I don't think Guy was looking to be the most powerful being--"_

_"Well...so far, he is until those nightmares get the best of him. It might help answer questions that either you or anyone else has. Think of this as a way to enhance who you are inside and out. I'm sure Guy has good intentions with those powers.--Better yet, you and your friends can find it before he does and give it to him."_

Michellee gazed at Guy's sleeping figure, his face seemed disturbed by the nightmares lingering in his mind. She cupped his cheek and stared at him for a brief while before coming to a decision. She placed a soft deep kiss onto her lover's cheek before she scooched herself out of his hold. After she got out of Guy's hold, Michellee stood up quietly and swept her gaze around the cave. She noticed her daughter, E.B, sleeping with Mr. Jenkins purring and cuddling next to her like a pet would if they're happy to be with their owner.

Michellee smiled softly at her daughter and quietly strolled towards her. She stroke her daughter's head, causing E.B to wake up groggily in her sleep. Of course, Michellee didn't mean for her daughter to wake up but E.B seemed too tired to perceive what's going on around her. She hugged her daughter for a brief moment.

"Mom?" E.B moaned while Michellee pecked a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be right back. I love you," Michellee uttered as she turned around and walked towards the opening of the cave.

"I love you too, Mom," E.B murmured with a yawn and went back to sleep.

_**Michellee heard her daughter's murmur with a small frown, having no idea how long it will take to delve into the cave just to get something that Guy was going to need to deal with his nightmares. But, she knew she had to do this for Guy...even though, maybe she could've just told him about this cave but...what's the point in that? So, that he'll run into something that might hurt him...like his hallucinations or what have you? Michellee knew that she'll risk more if Guy went into that cave all by himself. But she also knew that she's risking her life by going into the cave all by herself. Could she ask the others go to with her? No, no. It's just a cave. It's full of treasures and secrets. There shouldn't be any monsters and dangerous creatures that might eat her alive. Right?** _

Michellee seemed unsure for a moment.

_**Right...?** _

Michellee nodded her head, just to reassure herself that there were no such monsters that will eat her if she went into the strange cave.

_**Right!** _

Michellee exited out of the cave to see the view of the jungle underneath the starlit sky. The stars twinkled in the deep blue expanse above the jungle. She took a deep breath in and then slowly exhaled.

"Michellee?"

Michellee immediately turned around to the voice that belonged to Chad surprisingly.

He readjusted his broken glasses that shimmered in the pale light of the night. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to be right back," Michellee answered vaguely as she headed down a small slope that led into the jungle.

"Wait," Chad whispered loudly as he caught up with her quickly. "Maybe the more specific question I should be asking is, where are you going?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, you're obviously going somewhere and the jungle is not safe for any of us to walk around in at night. So...where are you going that's so important for you to walk out of the cave and go into the jungle all by yourself right now?"

Michellee stopped dead in her tracks with an irritable sigh with Chad jerking himself to a stop next to her. She moved her eyes up to meet his worried gaze with a deadpanned expression. "I'm going to a cave underneath the Great Falls. It has treasures and secrets. It also has something that would help Guy with his nightmares."

"A cave underneath the Great Falls? Don't you mean Griesal Cave?"

"How do you know?"

"I take trips with my wife to the Jungle of Nool almost every year before...well, before--" Chad almost bit his bottom lip, his mouth trembling.

Michellee nodded her head in understanding. "Right. That must have been fun."

"It was a lot of fun. I know where the cave is."

"Really?"

"Yeah, follow me."

Chad led Michellee through the Jungle of Nool throughout the night. Unbeknownst to them, someone from their group was following them closely.

~.~

The sun rose into the clear blue skies in the early dawn and beamed its light into the cave. Guy could feel someone's small finger poking at his cheek. He groaned a bit, not knowing who it was.

"Guy," A young child's voice peered as he slowly lifted his tired eyelids and gazed up at E.B, who's standing over him with a concerned gaze.

"Is everything okay, E.B?" Guy asked with a yawn and a tired stare up at his stepdaughter.

"Mom's gone," E.B uttered, her voice trembling.

"What do you mean?" Guy questioned while looking around the cave.

"It meant what the little girl meant. Your girlfriend's gone," Someone butted into the conversation.

Guy glanced up to notice Cat watching him with a wry smile. "I don't suppose you know where she's heading."

"Yeah, I have no idea. I mean, she told her daughter she'd be right back and...she's gone. I mean, I was going to get up and see what's happening but that...purple furred nerd...uh, what's his face--?"

"Chad?" Guy recognized the name.

"Yeah, him. He went with her...to someplace. And then, McWinkle...he, uh...just followed them, I guess."

"Do you know where they're heading?" Guy asked Cat, staying on the subject.

Cat shrugged his shoulders. "I thought they'd be back by now."

E.B rubbed her arms. "That seems out of character of Mom to go randomly somewhere...unless there's a reason."

"What reason is that?" Guy probed the little girl gently.

"BECAUSE SHE LOVES YOU!!!!" Cat shouted with his paws cupped around his mouth to make his voice seemed louder. However, he wasn't aware that he woke up Mr. Jenkins, who's fluffing his feathers in pure shock; along with Jean, Goat, Sam, Karlos, Max, Grinch, Lorax, and Gabriella.

"Ugh! We're up! We're up!" Grinch groaned groggily with a withering glare up at the Cat.

"Why did you have to wake us up this early?" Sam yawned while rubbing his eyes.

Cat tilted his head with a bright grin while turning to Guy and E.B. "Well, since everyone is up and early, we can start the search party."

"What search party?" Lorax questioned with a raised brow.

"Oh, Michellee is gone along with that Chad guy...and...McWinkle," Cat explained plainly with a simple smile.

Goat flicked his ears. "Great, one minute we're reunited and then the next minute...we're separated again."

"Where could they have gone?" Guy softly muttered to himself, pondering about the places to go in the Jungle of Nool.

~.~

"Well, this is it." Chad gestured to the deep dark cave with the waterfall raining down its pure water behind them.

Michellee gazed down at the cave with her anxious eyes darting around the cave while clutching her chest. "Does this look safe?"

"Whenever my wife and I went into tours for the Jungle of Nool, they never let us get near the Griesel Cave," Chad explained with a shrug.

"They might have a good reason to," A familiar voice spoke up from behind them.

Chad and Michellee abruptly turned around to notice McWinkle staring down at them with his arms crossed and his brows narrowed.

"How long have you been following us?" Michellee questioned with a raised brow.

"Since you both left the cave," McWinkle answered while sweeping his gaze around the cave. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Uh...well, McWinkle...um, we, uh--"

"Michellee?" McWinkle glanced at Michellee, figuring that she could provide a better explanation than Chad at this moment.

Michellee exhaled deeply. "There's something down there that might help Guy with his nightmares."

"Who told you that there's something that might help Guy with his situation?" McWinkle asked, his gaze softened suddenly.

"Murray."

"How in the world does Murray know?" McWinkle questioned further.

"Yeah, how does your friend, Murray, know that there's something down in that cave?" Chad directed his question at McWinkle.

"I don't know...maybe resources. Murray may not have television to watch the news but he's resourceful when it comes to finding something important," McWinkle uttered while rubbing his chin. "We have to go back to the group--"

"No, you guys can go back. I'm going in there," Michellee determined, even though her tone came out shaky.

McWinkle furrowed his brows. "Michellee, this cave you are about to enter is full of booby traps and monsters that will kill you. Do you really want to go in there where it's not safe for you?"

Michellee paused for a moment as she gazed into the deep dark cave. She wasn't trembling surprisingly but she knew that deep down, there was a bit of fear in her. She then hardened her stare up at McWinkle and turned towards the cave. Like a rebel, she headed into the cave to much of both McWinkle's and Chad's shock.

McWinkle quickly followed behind her into the cave and gripped on her shoulder. She turned to look up at him as he sighed deeply.

"Fine, if you want to risk your life for Guy, be my guest. But we're coming with you," McWinkle replied while inching ahead of her.

Chad approached Michellee on the other side with a soft grin. "Yeah, you shouldn't have to travel into that cave alone."

"We have to watch out for those traps," McWinkle cautioned as Chad strolled ahead of Michellee. 

"Don't worry, we'll get in and out of this cave in no time--" Chad's ankle broke through the tripwire when he walked through the cave. The trio's eyes went wide when they heard a snap.

McWinkle rubbed his forehead in discouragement. "Oh no."

The floor panel opened beneath McWinkle's and Chad's feet, causing both of the men to fall through the floor. Michellee gasped and attempted to grab at least one of them, but it happened rapidly and the floor panel closed before she could jump through after them.

"Chad!! McWinkle!!" Michellee cried while she got on her knees and pounded on the floor panel that sucked both the men through. The creaking noises sounded from the walls around her, causing her to stand up abruptly.

Her heart pounded harder in her chest when she darted her eyes around the cave, hearing chattering noises from unknown creatures. Her breathing quickened as the darkness enveloped her vision. Her anxious mind raced through all the possibilities that might happen to Chad and McWinkle. Are they dead? Are they trapped somewhere where they couldn't get out? Will she find them? Will she get out of this cave alive?

All of those questions burned in her mind as a herd of dark-winged creatures with red piercing eyes flew through the cave, flying past her quickly. Michellee screamed and covered her face to not get hit by the flying bats. As she was pushed back and shoved onto the ground, she lost her beanie in the process, revealing her poofy brown long hair. As soon as the bats disappeared, Michellee parted her poofy hair out of her face to see what's going on. She searched around the entrance of the cave to see that her purple beanie disappeared without a trace.

"Oh no," Michellee muttered to herself as she darted her gaze around the cave, breathing faster and faster for each danger she could list in her mind. But then, something just stopped those lists of dangers in her mind. "No...No. This is for Guy. This is for Guy."

As long as Michellee kept that mindset in her brain, she felt less afraid of the darkness in front of her. All she had to do was take a deep breath and continued onward while treading carefully for any booby traps in the cave.

Unknowingly, Michellee's purple beanie was founded floating in the wind, on its way towards the cave where the others were at.

~.~

Chad and McWinkle tumbled through the hole they fell through and crashed onto the ground with a thud. Chad's glasses tumbled off and shattered on the dirt. Both of the men groaned in pain from falling into a deep hole where they couldn't get back out.

"Why must I suffer through this?" McWinkle grumbled to himself.

Chad crawled over to get his glasses, his hand patting on the dirt. "I know I'm close. I know I'm close. Man, I can't see without these glasses."

McWinkle gazed down to notice Chad far from reach from his broken glasses. "Chad, your glasses are broken."

"What?" Chad gasped as he finally picked up his broken black glasses and squinted through the lenses with an irritable grunt. "Well, that's just great. Splendid. Now, I won't be able to see anything unless I see my eye doctor in Stovepipe Junction. Oh, wait, Stovepipe Junction is destroyed! Oh, well, that's just fantastic! I'm stuck down here with the blueberry man, no offense, sir--!"

"None taken. I've been called worst," McWinkle calmly replied while watching Chad paced back and forth in front of him with his muscular arms crossed against his chest.

Chad continued on angrily. "My high school buddy somehow has superpowers that curse him into having nightmares and become possessed by a demon. His girlfriend decided to go deep into the cave of wonders just to get the magic lamp that will solve all the problems in the world for both her and Guy and then a group of cultists are after us for some unknown reason other than it's Seuss's plan to kill us all because we're nothing but an abomination to him. Now I'm questioning my existence and everyone else's existence! Why must Dr. Seuss make me suffer?!"

Chad let out an outcry that echoed through the walls in the dark hallway they're in. McWinkle watched Chad patiently with a deadpanned stare at the nerd.

Chad breathed in slowly and then exhaled deeply. "Alright, alright, let's look at this from a positive side. There's always a positive side to every situation. Let's see here."

Chad gazed into the dark hallway, his vision nothing but a blur. He couldn't see far ahead but he could see the ground his feet were planted on. But even up close, he's left facing the darkness.

"Yeah, this is totally fine," Chad muttered to himself while nodding his head slowly and continuously.

McWinkle rolled his eyes at Chad and glanced up at the hole both of them fell through.

"Michellee!" McWinkle called, his volume of tone bouncing off the walls. "Can you hear me?! If you can hear me, go get the others! Tell them what's going on!"

There's no response.

"Michellee?!" McWinkle called out her name again.

Chad turned around to glance at the big blue-furred man. "I don't think she can hear us."

"I think she ran out of the cave. I think."

"I highly doubt it."

McWinkle shifted his focus on the purple-furred nerd. "Are you calm now?"

Chad nodded his head. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm calm...so...what are we going to do?"

McWinkle pondered for a moment as he noticed a stick with a thick linen cloth wrapped tightly around it, laying on the ground. He smiled to himself and picked it up to examine it.

"What's going on, McWinkle?" Chad asked before thinking up another question. "Hey, can I give you a nickname?"

McWinkle arched a brow at Chad while grabbing two sharp rocks and hovering them over at the linen attached to the stick. "Why would you ask?"

"Well, McWinkle seemed like a long name to start out...how about Winks?" Chad suggested with a bright smile.

"That's already taken." McWinkle began to clash the rocks together, making small sparks but not enough to light up the torch.

Chad tilted his head. "By who?"

"...My wife," McWinkle hesitated for a moment while focusing on generating heat to create fire.

Chad gasped with adoration. "Aww, you and your wife must have been happily married!"

McWinkle cornered a small smile, thinking back on his time with his wife. "Yeah. We were." He frowned after the last sentence when he remembered how she died. He shook his head to wipe out any emotion that was about to come up while creating more sparks from the rocks he collected.

Chad softened his gaze after McWinkle said this. "Were?" He softly gasped in realization. "Oh...I-um-I'm so sorry."

McWinkle didn't respond to it while stopping for a moment to think.

"That, uh, must have been hard for you," Chad uttered sadly.

"It's hard for my son as well."

"Oh...well, I-I didn't know. I--"

"There's no need for an apology, Chad. You wouldn't have known."

There's a distant pause between both men as McWinkle finally lit up the torch with a smile.

"Finally." McWinkle sighed in relief.

"Yeah, now I can see a bit better with the light," Chad added while standing close to the fire, which he could see clearly up close.

McWinkle lifted up the torch and shifted his focus on Chad. "Can you see far away too?"

"Sadly no. That's where I need my glasses."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Hmm, here take my hand," McWinkle offered his hand to Chad.

Chad squinted at his friend's hand with a questionable look on his face. "I'm sorry, what?"

McWinkle put his hand closer to the nerd's face. "Take my hand, please."

"Why?"

McWinkle sighed deeply and strolled through the dark hallway."As a guide. Since you can't see far away, I don't want you to walk ahead and fall off of a cliff which you didn't know was there."

Chad furrowed his brow as he strode to catch up with McWinkle's pace. "I may not be able to see far away but I'm not blind."

As if it's on cue, Chad tripped and tumbled over a pile of bones that laid in his way. He collapsed on the floor, causing McWinkle to stop dead in his tracks and light the torch over at the area where Chad tripped over.

"Uh, Chad, you might not want to look up yet," McWinkle warned but Chad already glanced up to notice a skull staring straight into his eyes with its hollow ones.

Chad screamed and scurried back against McWinkle's leg. "AH! Skeleton!"

A couple of small thick black bugs crawled out of the eyeholes of the skeleton, causing both of the men to be disgusted at the display.

"Ugh, let's get out of here." Chad stood up quickly to his feet while wrapping his thin arms around McWinkle's muscular ones.

McWinkle raised a brow at him. "Now, you're holding onto me."

Chad tightened his hold. "Well, the sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can let go."

"Well, it doesn't bother me. Come on."

McWinkle and Chad continued to explore through the dark hallway that appeared like it could go on forever.

~.~

Goat strolled on all fours on top of the cave with Jean perching on his head.

"Do you think that Michael and...what's her face would be up here?" Goat whispered to Jean.

Jean rolled his eyes at Goat. "First of all, her name is Vicky. And second of all, when are you going to get over your jealousy?"

"What do you mean? I'm not jealous."

Jean cornered a smirk at Goat's denial. "You're flat-out denying it."

"Oh, for goodness sakes, Jean, I'm not jealous of her. I just don't trust her."

"--With Michael's heart--"

"You know what, Jean, I'm going to slap you if you keep this up."

"Hey, hey, don't lose your temper over what you're feeling. It's okay to be vulnerable." Jean patted Goat's head, which made Goat growl at him more. "It's okay to have feelings, Atticus. It's okay to have feelings."

"I hate you right now," Goat grumbled while furrowing his brows together and gritting his teeth to hold in every urge to not slap Jean right this minute.

They finally approached Michael and Vicky, who were sleeping on top of the dew grass on top of the cave, their faces facing the blue sky. Vicky seemed awfully closed to Michael's side, snuggling him a bit for some warmth. Michael had his head resting on hers subconsciously.

Jean smiled brightly at the foxes. "Aww, they look so cute together.--Wait a minute." He slowly glanced down at Goat, with eyes twitching and brows furrowing together. Jean lost his smile. "That's right. I forgot you get jealous easily."

"Jean...you're not making any of this better," Goat growled lowly at the mouse.

"What? The fact that you're so overprotective of Michael or the fact that Vicky and Michael actually like each other?" Jean whispered to the goat. "Or...is it both?"

Goat flicked his ears in irritation. "Jean, I swear to Seuss--"

They heard Vicky yawned as Goat and Jean shifted their focus on the foxes. The vixen fluttered her eyes open to find herself next to Michael, blushing madly. She quickly scooted away from the fox while sitting up. Her ears perked up when she heard Goat sitting down on the grass and turned her head to notice him and Jean, who cornered a playful smirk at her.

"It-It's not what it looks like, guys," Vicky stuttered with a small nervous smile.

"Uh-huh, sure," Jean replied with a nod that didn't seem convinced by Vicky's verdict.

"It better not be that," Goat mumbled underneath his breath, though only Jean and Vicky heard it.

Jean wanted to probe about what Goat just said but decided to ignore it by rolling his eyes.

However, Vicky twitched her ears a bit while tilting her head. "So, why did you guys come up here?"

"Waking both you and Michael up for a search party," Jean answered plainly while leaning forward a bit.

"A search party?" Vicky tilted her head further. "For what?"

"For your place in the world," Goat uttered with his arms crossed.

Vicky gave Goat a deadpanned stare while Jean twitched his ears a bit in irritation.

"Ugh--What about my place in the world?" Michael groaned and yawned while fluttering his eyes open.

Goat shook his head with a soft smile at the fox, relieved that he's awake. "I wasn't talking about you, Michael."

Goat's tone was so soft when he spoke to Michael that both Vicky and Jean had their brows arched.

They heard a sudden rustle from the bushes while Michael became fully awake. He twitched his ears and turned his head to look at something moving around the jungle.

"What do you think it is?" Michael whispered to his group.

"Danger," Vicky muttered as she slid down the cave on the other side with Goat following her and Jean holding onto his horns tightly on top of his head. Michael trailed behind them as they hid near a huge boulder.

A shadow of a figure appeared beside them, looming closer and closer. Quiet footsteps were heard. But why would anyone travel through the jungle on an open road? The group wasn't too sure as Vicky and Michael had their claws out with Goat rubbing his hooves together quietly. At the right moment, Goat, Vicky, and Michael leaped in front of the walking figure with a battlecry, only to find that they just startled the pink-furred man with a fedora. The man gasped while almost dropping his belongings.

Jean arched a brow while squinting at the pink-furred man. "Murray?"

"Murray?!" Vicky, Goat, and Michael repeated after the French mouse simultaneously.

"Yes, it's me," Murray responded with a heavy ragged breath. "You animals just gave me a heart attack."

"Uh...sorry?" Goat uttered, lowering his hooves slightly.

"Who do you work for?" Vicky interrogated while Goat sternly glared at her.

"He works for the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S...I think," Goat replied while furrowing his brow and shifting his gaze back at Murray. "Do you work for the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S?"

"I've retired a long time ago. Just like McWinkle. Say, do you know where McWinkle is? Along with Chad and Michellee?" Murray asked the group of animals with a soft tone.

Michael raised his brow. "You know Chad and Michellee?"

"Why yes. They've spent the night at my farmhouse with McWinkle. They're nice and polite. I came here to bring some aid and supplies in case they need it. I forgot to give it to them after they left. Do you know where they are?"

"Well...we were just searching for them," Goat indicated, his tone unsure about this stranger that just appeared randomly. Jean eyed on Murray suspiciously while scurrying off of Goat and climbing up to Michael's shoulder.

Vicky slowly turned her deadpanned gaze at Goat. "Oh really? I thought we're looking for your place in the world."

Goat shot a withering glare at Vicky, flicking his ears in irritation.

Michael's face became puzzled while darting his gaze back and forth between Goat and Vicky. "What does she mean--?"

"Don't worry about it, mon ami. They have a rivalry going on here," Jean whispered to his fox friend while sitting on his shoulder.

Michael glanced down at his small friend. "Why?"

"Let's just say that--"

"Jean," Goat interrupted the mouse's explanation while shaking his head. "Now's not the time to explain things."

Vicky shifted her attention to Murray. "Well, if your intention was to help us search for our friends, you can join."

"Why thank you, dear," Murray responded happily.

The animals led Murray to where they were staying.

~.~

"Michellee!" Guy called out as he searched from outside of the cave with Cat, Grinch, Lorax, and Max while Gabriella, Sam, E.B, Mr. Jenkins, and Karlos stayed in the cave.

"Michellee! McWinkle! Uh...what's his name again?" Cat asked Guy with a whisper.

"Chad," Guy replied with a lowered tone.

"Right. CHAD!!" Cat yelled out.

"They have to be here somewhere. They can't just disappear like dust," Grinch indicated with a grumble.

"You'd be surprised on how many people are turned to dust by the end of Infinity War," Cat muttered to him.

Grinch furrowed his brow while slowly turning his head with a deadpanned stare. "What in the yip are you saying?"

"You are so uncultured. You obviously never heard of Marvel Studios," Cat responded with a smug smirk.

"Yes, I have actually and the ending is just depressing. But what does it have to do with finding Michellee, McWinkle, and Chad?" Grinch had his fists on his hips.

Before Cat could answer, The Lorax noticed something rustling in the bushes.

"Guys?" The Lorax uttered as everyone glanced at the rustling of the bushes.

Guy had his hands out slightly while Max growled at the bushes with gritted teeth.

"Take it easy, Max," Grinch cautioned his dog.

Everyone stared intensely at the bushes, their hearts racing for an unknown attack. Luckily, it's just Goat, Michael, Vicky, Jean, and Murray coming through the bushes. Max stopped his growling while everyone else sighed in relief.

Cat jumped back slightly while placing his hand over his heart. "You know, you guys just gave us a heart attack."

Goat raised his brow, confused. "What?"

"You know, when you're rustling in the bushes, it gives an ominous feeling that someone will attack us at any given moment. It's used in most horror movies so stop using it," Cat indicated with a whimsical voice.

The animals stared at him in confusion still.

Guy rolled his eyes at Cat. "Ignored what he said." Then, he noticed Murray behind the animals. "Uh...who's that?"

"Oh, that's Murray. He said that he brought aid and supplies for us," Michael responded with an innocent grin.

Murray chuckled softly. "I actually brought supplies for McWinkle, Chad, and Michellee. I did not think that there's more of you that they're looking for."

"More of us that they're looking for?" Lorax probed.

"Why yes, they, um, said that they were looking for E.B, Michellee's daughter. I figured that's all who they were searching for but I guess I'm wrong," Murray replied while clutching his belongings.

Jean eyed on Murray suspiciously from the fox's shoulder, which caught Murray's attention.

"Why is the mouse staring at me like that?" Murray uttered a question as Michael glanced to his shoulder at Jean.

"What's going on, Jean?" Michael inquired.

Jean shifted his focus back on the fox. "Nothing, mon ami."

As soon as Michael peeled his gaze away from the mouse, Jean directed his suspicious glare back at Murray while using his two fingers to raise them in front of his eyes and then pointed at a pink-furred man with a fedora in saying, 'I'm watching you'.

Jean then turned his head to focus back on the group, leaving Murray confused. The Lorax noticed a purple beanie floating in the air and then landed on the bushes.

"Uh...guys?" The Lorax uttered while they turned their heads to notice him holding a familiar purple beanie.

Guy rushed towards him while examining the beanie. "Where did you find it?"

"It's stuck onto a bush," The Lorax uttered meekly. "Do you think--?"

"I know that this is Michellee's beanie...but...that doesn't answer the question...where is she?" Guy uttered to himself but the Grinch heard him as he approached besides.

"It might give us a clue," Grinch stated while snatching it off of Guy's hands. Guy furrowed his brows as Grinch took the beanie over to Max. "Max, sniff this."

Max sniffed the beanie thoroughly with a few barks.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. Really? How?" Grinch questioned his dog, who just shrugged. "Well, looks like we found the location of where your spouse is, Guy."

"Really? With just a few barks?" Cat remarked with a judgmental tone. Max growled at Cat's response.

"Where are they?" Guy asked desperately, ignoring the bickering between Cat and Max.

Grinch sighed deeply. "Max said that, for some reason, they went into Griesal Cave."

"Wh-What?!" Lorax stuttered in shock. "Why would they go into the Griesal Cave?"

Murray gasped slightly while realizing something. "Oh dear me."

"What?" Goat questioned the pink-furred man.

"Do you have anything else to add, Murray?" Jean furrowed his brows at Murray while saying his name in overexageration.

"Jeez, Jean, chill," Michael whispered to the blue French mouse.

"Well, it must have slipped my mind. I didn't expect them to go after the cave shortly after you all have reunited. While they were at my farmhouse, Michellee told me that she was concern for you, Guy," Murray explained, shifting his glance at Guy. He continued on. "Of all the nightmares and hallucinations, she was pretty worried about you. So, I gave her a suggestion and said that she could go into that cave that might have the answers to those nightmares and hallucinations you've been having. She could go get before you can, that way you don't have to go down there. But that's only a suggestion but I think she took it quite literally."

Lorax furrowed his brow with his jaw slightly open. "How in the world do you know that?!"

"I have my resources," Murray answered vaguely.

"What resources?" Grinch challenged with an arched brow.

Murray cornered a soft smile. "At my house, I have a library full of books that talk about urban legends and myth."

"And you just told Michellee to go and fetch it because it's according to your research?" Michael assumed with an arched brow.

"As I said before," Murray uttered, almost a bit impatient with Michael's question. "It's merely a suggestion. She doesn't have to if she's not comfortable with doing it. She's the one who chose to do it, so, I barely had a say in what's going on."

"Alrighty then, so...should we head out to the Griesal Cave?" Cat asked his group.

"Well, I believe that we need to split up," The Lorax indicated as he glanced around the group.

"Wait, that's a terrible idea," Cat replied quickly.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, if you watched any horror movies...well, splitting up isn't always the best option," Cat explained with a whimsical tone.

"I meant split up into groups, Cat," The Lorax clarified with his arms crossed.

"Oh...well, alrighty then," Cat uttered meekly. "How will we split up?"

"Well, one group is going to hold the fort down on the cave we're staying while the other group will dive into the deep ruins of the cave just to get Michellee, McWinkle, and what's his face--?"

"Chad," Guy reminded the Grinch.

"And Chad!" Grinch finished his sentence. "Thank you."

"No problem," Guy muttered underneath his breath.

"I called going with Guy to a dangerous cave full of wonders and find the National Treasure!" Cat volunteered with a cheesy grin.

"It's going to be dangerous," Guy warned the cat.

Cat put his hands on his hips with a mischievous smirk. "And what makes you think I'm afraid of danger?"

"I'm going too," Grinch declared with a nod.

The Lorax sighed deeply. "Well, it's not like I'm going to stop you guys."

"I'm not sure if I should hop in on that cave ride. Like, have you seen The Mummy? Man, that movie made journeying into the caves scary for me as a kid," Michael replied while sweating a bit.

"I don't think they're caves, zorro," Goat uttered with an arched brow.

"Well, if you must get going, you must get going. Lord knows how deep they went into that cave," Murray indicated, ignoring Michael's commentary.

"You're not going?" Cat asked while tilting his head.

"Oh no, I'm too old to walk any more miles through this jungle," Murray responded while rubbing his knees.

"Well, then we'll--"

The group noticed Guy disappeared without a trace.

"My, my, what a brash fellow, isn't he?" Murray added.

"Gosh dang it, Guy!" Grinch growled as he stormed through the jungle with Max following him.

Cat tipped his hat to Murray and the animals. "Well, I better bid you all adieu."

Lorax strode after the Grinch with Cat trailing behind him.

"What was all that about?" Vicky muttered with her brow arched.

"I have no idea." Murray turned to the animals. "Might as well rest up someplace safe."

"We're almost to the cave, amigo," Goat reassured as the animals guided Murray towards the cave they were staying at.

~.~

_**Meanwhile, Sam watched E.B and Gabriella playing with Mr. Jenkins in the cave. As he watched them, he observed Gabriella's laugh and smile. He got lost in thought about her smile. His stomach was doing flips for some reason. It's like this when he first met Guy but except it's something completely different. Gabriella wasn't the first friend he made for certain but she was certainly the one he stuck around the most. Given the fact that she's about the same height as him, he became less of afraid of himself. Sure, Guy was the one who brought him out of being a criminal and helped him change. But, if it wasn't for Guy helping him change, he would have never thought about being himself around somebody who just met him.** _

_**All those times spent talking to her and getting to know her, Sam began to become curious. There was one moment where she said that Cat found her as a runaway child but then...there's another moment where she told him that Cat found her in the garbage. It's a bit confusing, to say the least. And what's that mark she tried so hard to hide? It's almost like the young girl just aroused his curiosity.** _

"Hey, Gabriella," Sam uttered, catching Gabriella's attention.

"Yeah?"

"Is it okay if we talk somewhere private?"

"What about E.B and Mr. Jenkins?" Gabriella included the child.

"Don't worry, I'll watch over them," Karlos replied while popping out of his fishbowl.

"Oh. Okay...let's go," Gabriella uttered as both Sam and she exited out of the cave they were staying in. "Is everything okay, Sam?"

"Y-Yeah...I just thought that we have someplace to talk."

"Sure. What is it that you want to talk about?"

Sam didn't want to probe about what Gabriella was hiding under that plastic fur, given to the way she acted yesterday when he noticed it. So, he had to find some way around it to get her to talk about it.

"Well, I was confused about something and it's been bothering me," Sam replied while they were strolling over to the top of the cave.

"What is it?"

"Well...it's about that-um-pink fur on your neck...when Mr. Jenkins licked you, it's about to come off," Sam pointed out gently with his eyes staring at her with care.

Gabriella had her eyes broadened. "Y-You noticed?"

"Yeah. You don't have to show it to me if you don't want to...but I'm just curious about it," Sam uttered.

They both stopped and gazed at the sunlight shining down in the Jungle of Nool and on them. Gabriella took a seat on the grass on top of the cave with Sam following her movements. He stared at her softly, wondering if she'll say something in response to his statement.

Gabriella frowned and glanced at Sam. "Pl-Please, don't laugh if I show you this. I'm only going to show you this because...I trust you. You're my friend."

"Okay," Sam replied while nodding his head. "Go ahead."

Gabriella took a deep breath and chewed her bottom lip. She peeled her pink fur off in front of Sam, showing a strange looking birthmark on her neck. It's just the size of his small palm but it had a unique shape to it. Almost like it extended towards her shoulder blade that shaped like a feather. However, there's more to reveal.

Gabriella peeled the pink fur off of her forehead that had the tiniest cutest heart shape Sam had ever seen. He continued to watch her as she had her hands around her bow that was supposed to be part of her purple dress until she untied it, letting the laces fall. When the laces fell, her stomach popped out a bit in her dress. She winced at it once she revealed it to Sam but Sam didn't seem phased by it.

"Why were you hiding them?" Sam asked her gently.

Gabriella didn't expect that reaction coming out of Sam I Am. She thought he would laugh or freak out that she's not this beautiful girl he thought she was. She almost bursted into tears when thinking about why she hid them from everyone, including Sam.

"Because I-I was ugly," Gabriella whimpered a bit. "That's why my parents got rid of me."

"Did Cat tell you that?" Sam questioned a bit more sternly.

"No-No, he never said that. He never told me why they-they got rid of me. He just found me in the garbage and took me in as his own. Thing One and Thing Two were like my brothers. However, I remembered slightly that my mom and my dad would always-always look away from me whenever I smiled at them...they-they were a rich, flawless and pure...and I'm not either of those things." Gabriella began to sob, trying her best to not to cry in front of Sam. "That's why they got rid of me. I was ugly. I didn't know that till...well, years ago. Do you remember how I told you that I haven't been in the outside world in a while?"

Sam nodded his head to remember what she said before about not going out as much to the outside world as he thought.

"W-Well, there's a reason behind that. I used to go out into the outside world. I fell in love with someone a long time ago. He and I...I thought we're meant to be. You know, I thought fate brought us together. I mean, Cat doesn't seem to trust him and neither did the Things. But, Daniel, the one I thought was meant to be, told me that I was beautiful...he told me that I was perfect despite my flaws. And I fell for it, no matter how-how many times he grew distant from me."

Gabriella began to weep quietly while Sam sprung up from his seat and hugged her tightly just like what she would do for him. Gabriella blushed at the gesture as she hugged him back and cried in his shoulder. He rubbed her back softly.

"He-He and that other girl were dating while I'm with him. I found out too late. He basically told me that I'm ugly and-and-no one will ever love me because of the flaws I have," Gabriella continued, despite crying her eyes out. "Sorry to lay this all on you."

"It's fine," Sam uttered while breaking away from her to gaze deep into her eyes. "How did you hide them?"

"I-I asked Cat to make me beautiful...he protested and said that I am already beautiful but-but I told him about the break-up and how I don't want anyone to leave me alone because of the way I am...so, Cat helped cover up my birthmarks and make me look skinnier and when I do go out...I-I still get ignored...I-I guess he's right--"

"No, he's completely wrong," Sam interrupted her, putting on that positive smile. "Everybody has their own flaws. What were her flaws?"

Gabriella wiped the tears away from her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Any kind of flaw you can see in her. Whether it would be physical or personality wise," Sam replied while gazing into her eyes and gently grabbing her hands. "Any flaw at all?"

Gabriella was a bit distracted by the way he smiled at her. It's charming to find someone who won't run away once she showed them her physical flaws. She then shook her head and pondered for a moment.

"She's flawless," She uttered with a broken smile. "Flawless hair...that smile...she had those curvy hips that just...ugh, just made me so envious."

"Come on, there has to be at least one flaw that you noticed," Sam encouraged while nudging her slightly in the shoulder with his.

Gabriella pondered more and shook her head. "Not as far I have seen of her."

Sam twisted the corner of his mouth downward. "Well, that's boring."

Gabriella arched a brow. "Why would that be boring?"

Sam picked his soft genuine smile as he held her face gently. "Because your ex is going to look into that woman's eyes and think, 'Man, what am I thinking? I used to stare at the most unique beautiful face of all time. Where I could stare into that little heart shape on her forehead for hours. Now, all I'm staring at is just some ordinary face'."

Gabriella blushed at Sam's touch. Then she giggled. "No, he wouldn't."

"I would've if I ever did that to someone like you," Sam uttered softly.

Both of their hearts were racing fast as everything around them seemed to be blurred out. It's only them and them alone. Sam caressed her face gently, his fingers lighty touching her jawline. He pushed her long brown hair out of her face. Gabriella got lost in his eyes while he's lost in hers. They had no idea what to do next, their faces becoming red from blushing.

"Gabriella?! Sam?!" They heard E.B calling from below them. Sam and Gabriella broke away from their gazes and glanced down at E.B, who's looking up at them. "You guys might want to come down here!"

"What's going on?!" Sam shouted his question from the top of the cave.

"The cultists! They're searching for us through here! Hurry up and get down here!" E.B yelled as she ran into the cave. Gabriella and Sam glanced at each other in shock as they took off towards the opening of the cave without Gabriella taking her fake pieces of fur with her, forgetting that they're laying on the grass. 

~.~

The animals and Murray returned to the cave but found three people at the cave already. Realizing that it's the cultists searching around the cave, they hid in the bushes.

"What are they doing here? How did they recover so quickly?" Michael probed his questions with a whisper.

"I don't know. We have to take them out," Jean implied while standing on the fox's shoulder.

"How did they know that we're here?" Goat muttered underneath his breath.

"Do any of you have a tracker in your bodies?" Murray asked softly.

"N-Not as far as we know," Michael remarked while glancing at Murray with a raised brow.

"They must be around here somewhere," One of the cultists ignited the conversation with his group.

Jean leaned over to Michael. "Well, we better take them out before--"

They turned their heads to notice Vicky missing from their group.

"Where did the vixen go?" Murray uttered his question until the group saw the vixen sneaking up to the cultists.

Goat furrowed his brows. "Ugh, really?"

Vicky swiftly knocked out the cultists before anyone could step in and help her with taking them out. She gave a thumbs up with a small smile.

"We're good," Vicky indicated as Sam, Gabriella, and E.B came out behind her.

"Thanks, Vicky," Gabriella replied with a sigh in relief.

The animals noticed her looks were different. She's not fat but her belly was poking out a bit with two birthmarks. One small heart-shaped mark was planted on her forehead while the other one shaped like a feather from the crook of her neck to her shoulder blade.

Gabriella saw that they noticed this while lowering her head down. The animals didn't seem phased by her looks while they just smiled at her.

"Nice birthmarks," Goat complimented her.

"Y-You think so?" Gabriella stuttered, shocked at Goat's response.

Goat shrugged. "I thought birthmarks are cool."

Sam smiled at her and gazed at her. "See? I told you that they won't think that you're ugly."

"Yeah," E.B agreed with Sam.

Gabriella smiled softly at the both of them. "Thank you."

Sam nodded his head while shifting his focus on the animals and looking around the group. "Wait, where's Guy? Along with Cat, Lorax, Max, and Grinch?"

"Oh...uh, they went exploring in the cave," Michael explained with a simple smile.

"Which cave?" E.B questioned with an arched brow.

"The Griesal Cave," Murray answered softly.

Sam and Gabriella had their eyes widened in shock while E.B stared at them in confusion.

"Do you think that's where my mom is?" E.B uttered.

Goat glanced at the little girl. "I think that's why they went into the cave."

"There's also something about some connection to Guy's powers," Vicky added.

"Should we go with them?" Sam probed, now worried about Guy.

"I think we're supposed to hold down the fort until they get back," Michael responded with a shrug.

"But...will they get back?" Gabriella added her question, getting just as worried as Sam about their friends.

"We don't know," Murray answered simply. "We'll have to wait."

~.~

Guy arrived at the entrance of the Griesal Cave, staring down at the darkness. His hand trembled slightly as he lifted it and noticed that it's extending out by itself. There must be a connection between him and the cave, for some reason. He knew he had to dive in there to not only find Michellee, McWinkle, and Chad but to find the answers he's looking for about his evil side. That side that Guy was afraid of the most.

"Did you find anything?" A voice piped up behind, causing Guy to yelp and turn around to realize that it's Cat behind him with a widened grin. The Lorax, Max, and the Grinch stood behind him as well.

The Grinch had his arms crossed with a stern glare. "When are you going to stop running off?"

"Well, you guys are too slow," Guy answered while facing the cave again.

"You know, patience is a virtue," The Lorax grumbled as they joined in staring down the cave.

Cat flicked a quick glance at the Lorax. "Are you sure this is where you hid the answer to Guy's powers?"

"I'm sure of it," The Lorax replied with a nod. "But...I hadn't been in here for years. Who knows what lies ahead at this point."

"A lot of booby traps. That's for sure," Grinch indicated while turning his focus on Guy. "Are you sure you want to journey into this cave?"

Guy stared at his trembling hand. "Yeah, I'm sure. For some reason, I felt some kind of connection to this cave."

"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Cat determined as he went into the cave ahead of the group.

Guy followed the Cat with Grinch and the Lorax trailing behind him.

~.~

Michellee journeyed further through the cave, moving around the thick branches that extended across the hallway of the cave. Her hair was poofy and her bangs were in her face, causing some hindrance to her sight. One strand of her hair got stuck in one of the tiny branches the extended halfway across the hallway.

"Ow, ow," Michellee muttered as she tugged her head away from the branch that gripped around her one thick strand of hair. She nearly stumbled back but was caught by the other thick branches. She noticed her strand of hair just hanging idly. She growled to herself.

"Ugh, this is not going to work."

She searched through her dress to find something rubbery in her pocket. When she took it out, she soon realized that it's a rubber band. Perfect! She bent down with her hair curled down above her head. She extended the rubberband and tied it around her hair, holding her poofy hair together tightly. She flipped her hair up and soon enough, it's out of her face. However, her hair was still tangled and in a mess, causing her to groan irritably. She knew she could've easily get tangled onto some branch. So, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and brushed her hair with her fingers to get most of the tangled knots out.

Michellee then braided her hair as tightly as she could. She dug through her pockets to feel another rubber band. Good thing she had them in her pockets rather than her suitcase, otherwise, they would've been abandoned at the breakfast and bed place. Although, that lady getting shot outside on the wooden porch with blood splattered everywhere while her daughter was kidnapped rang in her head. It's a terrible memory, and that place will no longer be available for her or her daughter to stay where it's quiet.

After she braided her hair tightly, she flipped it back behind her. She had no idea what she looked like...probably appearing like a deranged woman who could only tie her hair up so that it wouldn't get tangled up in those branches. Michellee went onward through the cavern hallway with the branches stuck out from the walls. When she ducked underneath with her hand helping her swing under one of the branches, the branch moved above her and had its tip on the back of the collar of her purple sweater. This made her yelp in surprise and immediately take off her sweater, revealing her in a sleeveless purple dress. Her shoulders instantly shuddered from the freezing cold air.

"Well...it could've gone worst," Michellee muttered, trying to stay positive. As if it's on cue, a branch that was reached out in front of her legs wrapped itself around her, causing her to trip and fall down the slope in front of her. The branches began waving away as if they were living things within the walls on each side of her. One of the moving branches poked through the skirt part of her dress and ripped the bottom portion of her dress. She tumbled towards the bottom of the small slope in front of her, her dress now covering her thighs instead of her legs.

Michellee recovered her head from the fall and realized the branches were moving from where their places were, causing the woman to scream and sprint through the cavern hallways and dodging all of the incoming branches ahead of her. She finally passed the moving branches from within the walls and approached a cliff. She covered herself, her hands gripped around her bare shoulders and her knees shaking from the sudden air blowing through the cave. Peeking over the cliff, she could see that there's boiling hot lava sizzling. She moved her focus over to the other side that had a vine hanging down in front of her and a cliff that awaited on the other side.

"And it just got worse," Michellee replied with a deep sigh at the end. She gazed at the vine, her eyes trembling. Her blood was pumping through her veins with her eyes narrowed at the vine. If she got a good running start, she would be able to make it onto that vine and swing herself across...but that all seemed too risky. What if the vine broke and she falls into the burning lava below? What if she didn't make that jump?

"No, that's too risky," Michellee muttered to herself while pacing back and forth near the cliff. She saw the weeds that she could easily climb but it didn't reach towards the other side. That option was thrown out the window in her mind. She pondered and pondered until she noticed a flat long plank of wood leaning onto the wall beside her that might be long enough to reach to the other side. She smiled at the idea while carrying the heavy flat plank and set it across the gap where she was supposed to cross. Michellee spread her arms out and carefully balanced herself towards the other side of the gap.

However, she's not aware that the flat plank was creaking underneath her due to her weight. When she reached to where the vine was hanging, the board broke under her feet. Luckily, Michellee had a fast reaction time that she grabbed the vine and let the board fall to the lava beneath her. She hanged onto the branch, her pupils shrunk in absolute terror.

"Oh no," Michellee uttered while glancing up to see if the vine will break at any moment. What she realized was that the vine she's hanging onto for dear life with her legs wrapped around it, it's strong enough to hold her as long as she could. She set her sights on the ledge on the other side. Her breathing became quickened as her thoughts raced like speeding cars on a crazy highway. Her heart pounded harshly against her chest.

**_It all came down to her, remembering Guy. It's been a while since she'd seen him smile. She missed it if she had to be honest with herself. It hurts her now that she had to see him suffer in his sleep. Then, she remembered back when she first met him...he-he didn't seem like much to her at first. In fact, she didn't like him at first...but then, he grew on her. Even if his actions were reckless like smuggling a chickeraffe across the country or breaking him or someone else out of jail, he had good intentions. He made sure that Sam, E.B, and Michellee were safe from the psychos that tried to kill them. Despite his pessimistic nature, he really tried to be strong for everyone, even for her. Who was she if she won't do the same thing for him? She felt bad for all the times that she mistreated him at first, but that's all in the past now._ **

_**Guy had been strong long enough. It's time for her to do something for him--it's time for her to be strong for Guy because Guy couldn't get out of this curse that tortured him alone.** _

Michellee let legs hanged while her hands were gripped tightly around the vine. She used her hips to give herself momentum to swing on the vine she's hanging onto so that she could reach that ledge that she's supposed to go. Her swing progressed more and more as she finally had enough inner strength to let go and crashed onto the dirt. She dusted herself off with a sigh of relief.

When she glanced out towards where she came from, she became more determined to keep going forward. Onward she went through the cave, expecting the unexpected.

~.~

Meanwhile, McWinkle and Chad explored further into the depths of the hallway that they were trapped in with McWinkle holding a torch and Chad holding onto him.

"So...I can't give you a nickname?" Chad asked with a raised brow.

"Are we seriously still on that?" McWinkle probed with his brows furrowed.

"Come on. Has anyone ever gave you a nickname? Besides your wife?"

McWinkle gruffed a bit. "No. And no one has to."

"Well, I only asked because I want to. I mean, it's just something between us."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a waste of time."

Chad silenced himself for a few moments.

McWinkle noticed Chad's silence while pondering, now regretting what he said. He cleared his throat. "Do you have a nickname?"

"Yeah."

"What is it?"

"Chad."

"Oh...wait...I thought that's actually your name."

"Well, my actual name is Chadrick. However, I just go by Chad. Pretty much everyone else does too. That's why I asked if anyone gave you a nickname."

"Why would you care?" The tone came off a bit too harsh, which was not McWinkle's intention at all.

Chad winced from the harshness of his tone but straightened up a bit. "Well, you're my friend. Right?"

"I guess."

"Well, I just thought that it'd be cool to give each other nicknames."

When McWinkle moved his eyes back down at Chad, he noticed the purple-furred nerd frowning. As if he's taken back by something, something tragic.

"You're right. It's a waste of time," Chad replied with a faint smile. "I just thought it's something to pass the time while we're walking here."

McWinkle stared straight ahead with a sigh. "Joe."

"What?" Chad had his brow arched.

McWinkle glanced at him sternly. "Don't you tell anyone about this."

"What do you mean?"

"Joe McWinkle. That's-that's my full name. But I go by McWinkle."

"Oh!! So, McWinkle is your nickname!"

"Surname," McWinkle corrected.

"Who knows?"

"My wife and my son."

"How?"

McWinkle gave the nerd a deadpanned stare. "They're my family."

Chad chuckled nervously. "Oh, yeah. Duh. Hehe, sorry."

There's a brief moment of silence.

"Why are you telling me this?"

McWinkle shrugged. "Just something to pass the time."

"I don't think that's why."

McWinkle noticed him gazing up at him with soft eyes. He sealed his lips for a moment while coming to a stop. He obviously heard something...something chattering.

"What's going on?" Chad asked once he noticed his friend becoming silent.

"Do you hear something?"

Chad laughed a little. "Okay, now you're trying to evade the subject--"

"I'm serious, Chad."

Chad went silent for a moment. "Hmm, just something chattering-"

"REJOICE!" a voice randomly shouted from behind them, causing both of the men to jump around to face the priest and the two men standing with their torches lit.

"What the Flerz?! How did you get in here?!" Chad shouted at them.

"We don't have time for questions-!" As soon as McWinkle was about to grab Chad and runoff in a different direction, three more men stood in the exact opposite of the priest, trapping them.

"You can't run from your fates," The priest replied with a wry smile.

Chad held McWinkle's arm tightly, who's glaring at the priest with a snarl.

"What do you want from us, huh?" McWinkle growled at the priest. "It's obvious you want to kill us."

The priest smirked smugly. "Kill you? Well, if you haven't been so stubborn and surrender like you're supposed to, we wouldn't have to use brute force. Besides, we got here before you did. Let me guess, you came here because you're trying to get the answers about your supernatural friend's powers. Is that correct?"

McWinkle formed a tight fist with gritted teeth. "That's none of your concern."

"You know, your group has become quite predictable, especially with Guy around," The priest continued teasing the big blue furred man. "Everything is going according to **his** plan."

"Whose plan?" Chad asked with his brow raised.

McWinkle lowered his gaze to noticed a small black beetle crawling through the dirt. His eyes broadened in absolute fear as he tried to keep in eye-contact with the priest.

The priest laughed at Chad's question. "He's the one in control of the whispers...the one who will whisper your fate and you must accept it. It's a gift to hear such voices in your heads."

"Why would that be a gift? That seems torturous to me," Chad chatted as he noticed the priest holding a dragon-like claw, despite his blurry vision. He nudged on McWinkle's arm and discreetly gestured him to look at the metal claw.

"You're an Outsider," The priest continued to ramble on as the bug crawled up on his leg. "Outsiders like you wouldn't understand this precious gift. That's why you must be punished."

"For not understanding something that's just plain preposterous? That seems weird," Chad replied while glancing up at his friend.

McWinkle flicked a gaze at the nerd and jerked his head to the side as if he's telling his friend something but it's hard to tell what he's trying to say. Chad arched a brow while his friend tilted his head again to point at the claw the priest was holding.

Chad still had a baffled look on his face.

"You both are--" the priest's sentence was interrupted when the bug bit him in the leg. There's something about that bite that made the priest gnashed his teeth in pain. The five other men trapping both McWinkle and Chad gazed at the priest in confusion.

McWinkle flung Chad over to the priest before anyone could react. Chad yelped while blindly grabbing the claw out of the priest's hold. The nerd gripped on the claw tightly as McWinkle moved his hand to grabbed his collar of his shirt to pull him out of trouble. He sprinted through the men blocking them before the army of tiny black beetles rushed in behind the priest. They crawled all over the men that stood near the priest, seeming to eat them alive while they screamed in agony.

This freaked Chad out while they were running through the cavern hallway. "What are those things?!"

"Cave Ticks!" McWinkle answered quickly.

"Cave Ticks?!" Chad repeated the answer loudly.

"Yes!"

"Are they that dangerous?!"

"Did you not see them eating up those Gatherers of the Whispers back there?! It should be obvious that they're that dangerous!"

Both of the men were running through the halls, turning left and right until they approached the floor panel puzzle where if they stepped into the wrong panel, the whole floor will fall beneath them.

McWinkle glanced around the room while Chad began to panic.

"What are we going to do?!" Chad screamed in fear.

McWinkle noticed a stick with linen attached to it, giving him an idea. He used his lit up torch and light the other torch on fire. He swept Chad off of his feet.

"Here!" McWinkle yelled while giving the torch to Chad. Chad quickly grabbed it and held it on tightly along with the claw.

McWinkle threw the purple-furred nerd across the room. Chad flew and landed onto the panel that's placed in the middle, close to the edge. The panel sunk underneath his bottom as if he pressed on the wrong panel. He quickly got on his feet before the floor panel fell beneath him. Chad used the claw to have it cling to the edge while he hanged onto the ledge for dear life and held the torch McWinkle gave him. He gazed down to notice the hot boiling lava that fizzed from receiving the floor panels.

"Oh Dilkins," Chad muttered underneath his breath after processing that he almost died. He looped his arm on the ledge to pull himself up and out of the pit. He scooched away from the edge and glanced across at McWinkle.

McWinkle picked up the torch and slashed the fire at the small bugs approaching him. They seemed to fear fire that he's waving it in front of them. As he was waving the fire to get the man-eating bugs away from him, he noticed a skeleton laying up against the wall with a sword impaled through the chest. He immediately pulled out the sword with a stern glare at the bugs.

"Joe!!" Chad called out his name.

McWinkle quickly flicked a glance at Chad with broadened eyes. "Chad! Get through that door! I'll fight the bugs!"

"What door?!" Chad shouted as he bumped into a huge door behind him. He turned around with a nervous chuckle to himself. "Oh boy."

Chad shifted his gaze down on the claw. He noticed in the palm of it that there were inscriptions. He shifted his focus up at the door, realizing that there were three turn panels in the middle that indicated that it's a puzzle to get it to open. However, there's a golden circle in the middle that had the shape of the claw. This brought realization in the nerd.

"Oh...I know what kind of puzzle this is," Chad uttered softly, suddenly confident in his tone. He used his finger to caress the inscriptions on the claw, almost like he's outlining the shape to figure what shape it was.

"Okay, I got this." Chad noticed the three panels that moved like wheels above the golden circle and squinted to barely see the inscriptions that matched the claws. He began to turn the panels according to the inscription of the claw.

Meanwhile, McWinkle slashed at the army of Cave Ticks approaching him. He used the flame to burn the bugs that almost got to his legs. While fighting the bugs, his thumb pressed down an unknown button on the sword handle that lit the blade on fire. This brought a smile to McWinkle's face as he slashed his fiery sword at the bugs. The bugs were lit ablaze with the smell of gasoline. Once the fire was lit on the bugs in the front row, the rest of the army was caught on fire.

At first, McWinkle's smirk widened at the fact that the bugs were lit up ablaze. After the bugs were lit up ablaze, something began exploding. Oh boy...he forgot that it could happen.

Luckily, Chad solved the door puzzle and stuck a claw on the gold circle in the middle, which the door opened rapidly. The gap between him and the nerd was filled with a brick floor panel that was supposed to replace the one with puzzles. McWinkle glanced down and zoomed towards the nerd.

"Yes! I did it--!"

McWinkle tackled Chad through the doorway while the explosion of fire followed them. They tumbled down the slope where the fire just spread towards the wall, over the slope where both of the men were tumbling down. They rolled all the way to the bottom until they ran into the bones and skeletons.

They regained their consciousness as Chad rubbed his eyes.

"What just happened?" Chad probed while looking around the darkness.

McWinkle noticed the fire not following them down the slope they fell through. "Let's just say that the Cave Ticks weren't exactly flammable."

"What caused the explosion?"

"Bugs."

Chad raised his brow. "Seriously?"

"Yes. It's a well-known fact."

"How do you know so much about animals and...their quirks?"

McWinkle gave a deadpanned stare at Chad. "Because I work with them."

"Really? I mean, I saw that on your poster that you're a retired man from the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S."

"Yeah. Bureau of Animal Defense Glurfsburg Upper Yipville Section. That's what it stands for."

Chad enlarged his eyes in realization. "Oh! I get it now!"

"Yep."

"Okay, I thought that it meant that you're actually...bad. I mean, you don't seem bad. Tough but not bad."

McWinkle had his arms crossed with a gruff. "Thanks."

"No problem."

McWinkle glanced ahead of them. "We have to keep going."

Chad saluted his friend as they began to walk through the tomb halls of the cave. "Roger that, Joe."

"Please...don't call me that in public," McWinkle requested politely but sternly.

"Oh...okay."

The two men continued to explore through the cave, hoping to find Michellee or anyone else they knew at the end of the cave.

~.~

E.B became bored in the cave while the others waited patiently for the main group's return. Mr. Jenkins squawked sadly while resting his head on her lap.

"It's a cute pet you got there."

E.B glanced up to notice Murray talking to her and pointing at the chickeraffe.

"Oh...thank you. His name is Mr. Jenkins!" E.B replied excitedly.

"Oh wow, that's an adorable name for a living creature," Murray complimented with a small pleasant smile. "Who was responsible for naming him?"

"I am," E.B stated proudly while the chickeraffe warbled excitedly and licked her in the face, causing the little girl to giggle. However, she frowned after a moment of realization. "He was supposed to be at home with his family."

The chickeraffe cooed softly and sadly while laying his head on E.B's lap again.

"I'm sure we can get him back home again," Sam spoke up in the conversation between Murray and E.B.

The chickeraffe had his lips trembled, squawking sadly.

"That sounds like a fun adventure," Gabriella replied brightly.

"Well, how can we go from here to Meepville Cold Airport is the question," Sam pondered while rubbing his chin.

"And the brunkels," Goat added, joining in the conversation. "You know how expensive cold air balloons are."

"There's no point in returning the chickeraffe back to its home," Murray remarked grimly.

"Why?" Gabriella asked him with a brow raised.

"That poor creature is the only chickeraffe that existed now," Murray responded.

"What do you mean?" Sam uttered in fear.

Murray gave a pitiful gaze at the short who. "Haven't you heard? The chickeraffes are now extinct."

"What? The last time I checked, there were seventeen of them--"

"My dear girl," Murray interrupted Gabriella softly. "All the chickeraffes are slaughtered. Mr. Jenkins must be lucky that he's the only survivor left."

"How do you know?" Gabriella probed the question.

Murray gave a simple smile. "News article, my dear."

"W-Wait, who slaughtered them?" Vicky stuttered, arching a brow.

"The Biologist."

The answer sent shivers down on the animals' spines. Goat, Michael, and Jean had their eyes widened while they glanced over at Mr. Jenkins, who gave a quiet whimper from hearing about his species being slaughtered.

"Oh man," Goat muttered.

"No wonder you were at the lab," Jean recalled while glancing at Mr. Jenkins.

E.B pondered for a moment, frowning and stroking the feathers on the chickeraffe's head. "I'm so sorry about your family, Mr. Jenkins."

Mr. Jenkins nuzzled his face into her cheek with a quiet purr. The group frowned and gazed down on the ground, letting the silence fill in the air.

The sudden thought came into E.B's mind but she seemed to hesitate to say something with her teeth biting her bottom lip. Then she shifted her gaze up at the group. "Don't you guys think---we could take care of Mr. Jenkins?"

"As a pet?" Sam inquired with an arched brow.

"Yeah," E.B answered, trying to form an innocent smile. "I mean, since Mr. Jenkins doesn't have a home to go back to, he can stay with us."

"I don't know, E.B, that seems like a dangerous responsibility," Sam cautioned the little girl.

"I'm sure we'll help her with taking care of the chickeraffe," Gabriella reassured the who softly with a gentle beam that seemed to make Sam's cheeks heat up.

Sam pondered about it for a moment and then gave a determined glance at the little girl. "Alright, we'll keep him!"

"Yes!" E.B hollered with the chickeraffe warbling excitedly and jumping around the cave, letting Murray chuckle softly at them.

"Wait! Wait!" Karlos stepped into the conversation as the group just noticed his fishbowl. "Do you guys have a plan on how to feed that thing?!"

"Don't worry, Karlos, we got that under control," Sam answered to reassure the goldfish.

Michael walked around the cave with Jean sitting on his shoulder. At the corner of the cave, there's a weak brick wall that appeared to be blocking their way of a secret passage but the fox and the mouse were oblivious to it.

Michael leaned up against the weak wall with his shoulder. "Is there--?"

His sentence was interrupted when he collapsed through the wall with a yelped. Jean squeaking in surprise.

"Michael! Jean!" Goat and Vicky called out while running towards them.

"Yo! You guys got to check it out!" Michael shouted from the other side.

Goat bashed through the wall with his shoulder and noticed a dark cave.

Vicky peeked over Goat. "What do you think it is?"

"It's gotta lead to somewhere, right?" Jean asked his friends.

"Maybe there's something down there that we could explore while waiting for the others to return," Murray suggested with a light tone.

"Right," Sam concurred. "Does anyone have a torch?"

~.~

Guy, Cat, Grinch, Max, and Lorax stepped carefully through the Griesal Cave. As they got further into the cave, Guy began to have migraines but he tried his best to keep up with his group.

Grinch noticed this with a concerned gaze at him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah...I'm fine...just-just a headache," Guy stuttered, trying to hold his head to keep himself focused on what's ahead.

"Why are you getting a headache all of the sudden?" Lorax asked, worried.

"I-uh-I don't know," Guy responded while he saw that his hand was trembling violently. Without any thought, his hand shot straight ahead, as if it's pulling him towards somewhere. This brought confusion to him and the group he's with.

Cat furrowed his brow. "That's freaking me out. What is your hand doing?"

Guy's eyes were glued at what's straight ahead. "I-I don't know."

Grinch darted his gaze between the Knox and what's ahead of them. "I think whatever we're looking for, it must be guiding us to it."

"I think it's something different," The Lorax disagreed while arching his bushy yellow brow.

"What is it?" Cat asked.

"I don't know," The Lorax responded with a shrug.

"You mean to tell me that you placed something that might help Guy with his powers and you don't know why his hand was acting weird?"

"I haven't been here for five years, Cat. Sheesh," The Lorax informed with a harsh tone.

Max barked and bolted through the cave.

"Max! Wait up!" Grinch shouted as he trailed after the dog. Cat guided Guy after them with the Lorax not far behind them.

They zoomed through the hallway with the branches sticking out from the walls. Max jerked to a stop and shot a glance up at the purple sweater. As a dog, he barked up at the clothing as if he's barking up a tree.

Grinch finally approached his dog friend while gazing up at the sweater. "Uh...Guy, is this familiar?" He pulled the sweater off of the branch and showed it to the others, who finally approached him and his dog.

Guy's eyes broadened in horror. "That's Michellee's! Is she okay?!"

"She seemed okay by the looks of this," Grinch said while scrutinizing the sweater. A paper fell out when Grinch began to caress the purple fabric.

Guy seemed confused by this and picked up the paper from the ground. He gazed at it to see that it was a drawing. It's Michellee's no doubt...she's an excellent artist. It had her, Sam, and E.B in the drawing. But it also had McWinkle, Gluntz, Louis, Michael, Jean, and Goat. But...it didn't have him on it.

He wondered why that was until he began to have a migraine in his head.

"Is everything okay, Guy?" Grinch asked as he noticed Guy covering his head and shutting his eyes. He gritted his teeth in pain.

_"What's going on?! Who are those maniacs?!"_

_"Yes, your pal is a conman, a crook, a heistuoso."_

_"We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way, amigo."_

_"It's not easy--!"_

_"You 'Can' Open It! I believe in you!"_

_"Who's Going To Save You?"_

These voices rang in Guy's head like memories replaying itself. He couldn't hear the voices around him as he felt a weight of his own hat off of his head. He felt someone's hands around his arm while something else just landed on top of his head lightly. It's no doubt that it's a hat but it wasn't his hat. As soon as this lightweight hat landed on top of his head, all the echoes and the whispers were gone in a snap of a finger. His eyes slowly opened while noticing Cat's relieved smile at him. However, Cat was wearing his old brown crumpled hat. His hands slowly felt the rim of the hat that seemed to be in good shape, knowing that it's Cat's hat. Wearing the hat, it's like all of the whispers and anything evil was cleared away right away.

"Aha! It worked!" Cat exclaimed in victory.

Grinch furrowed his brow. "How come you never did that earlier when he's on the verge of turning into a beast?"

"Overall question, why didn't you do that earlier?" Lorax added with his fists on his hips.

"I didn't know my hat could do that to anyone else," Cat answered nervously. "I mean, I know it works for me...but I had no idea if it'll work on someone else. This is just an experiment."

"Well, looks like your experiment is a success," Grinch replied with his arms crossed and a gruff.

"Yay!" Cat cheered with a bright smile.

Then Grinch glanced at Cat with concern. "Then, what will you do without your hat?"

Cat lost his bright smile. "Huh, I never thought of that."

One of the branches moved towards the group and poked the Lorax by the side. The Lorax jumped around with a yelp as everyone shifted their attention on the branches moving spatially. 

"What the heck are those?!" Cat shouted while hiding behind Guy.

"The Wall Trees," Lorax uttered with eyes wide.

"The what?!" Grinch exclaimed while Max growled at the waving branches. "That is the stupidest name I've ever heard!"

"It exists!" Lorax yelled back defensively at Grinch. "They have branches that drag people into the walls and suffocate them! It's not a pretty sight to see!"

"Do they eat people?!" Grinch questioned loudly.

"Did you not hear the part where I said that they will drag people into the walls to suffocate them?! Clearly it indicates that it kills people!"

"Eat! Like an animal!" Grinch clarified as the branches reached out towards them.

"It's not even an animal!" Lorax shouted at Grinch as the branches surrounded them.

Cat bit his bottom lip. "Ba-da-da, we're dead."

"Wait!" Guy glanced at the Lorax. "Didn't you say that you can speak to the trees?"

"I said I speak **_for_** the trees, not to them! I'm a Guardian of the Truffala Tree Forest for Dr. Seuss's sake!" Lorax replied with panic in his tone.

The branches slowly reached towards them, almost touching their furs. Everyone had their eyes closed and teeth gritted, awaiting their deaths. Guy spread his arms out in any attempts to stop them from grabbing him and his friends with his mind. They heard creaking and felt vibration underneath their feet. They opened their eyes slowly and noticed that the branches were no longer stuck out from the walls, instead, they were held within the dirt walls around them.

Guy realized this while shoving the branches into the dirt walls for good, causing vibration within the cave.

"Oh wow, we didn't even die," Cat replied with a bright smile of relief.

"I wouldn't get our hopes up...yet," Grinch uttered as they traveled through the clear hallway. As they were traveling down the hallway, they noticed a ripped purple fabric that must have been belonged to Michellee.

"Oh boy," Guy replied while breathing heavily.

Max sniffed the fabric and perked his head up to shot a stare straight ahead with a few barks.

"She's straight ahead," Grinch indicated while the group ran through the rest of the hallway, approaching a cliff by the end of it.

"Oh great, just what the doctor ordered: A boiling lava and a vine that might break if we put any weight on it," Lorax groaned irritably.

"Well, there has to be a safe way we could get across," Grinch replied while trying to calculate something else other than that vine to swing them across from where they're standing to the other side.

"Why don't we just swing across like Indiana Jones?" Cat pointed at the vine.

"That's too risky. Who knows if the vine will break," Grinch explained while pacing around the cliff to find a way to get across.

Cat eyed on the vine with a mischievous smirk. He backed up away from the group as they were debating about which route they should take.

"So, are we just going to use our teleportation powers--?"

"Nah, that's a waste of energy and--"

Cat sprinted past them without even looking at his group and leaped towards the vine. He grabbed it with his gloved hands and swung himself across effortlessly while holding onto Guy's old crumpled hat. He landed onto the other side with his feet and a smirk was thrown at the group.

"The vine seemed strong enough. But I would swing on this one at a time," Cat replied with a grin. He let go of the vine as it swung back to the group, letting the Grinch grab it.

Grinch furrowed his brow with his mouth slightly agape. Then he groaned deeply. "Show off."

He picked up his dog in his arms and swung across the gap on the vine. When his feet got to the other edge, his heels almost slipped back to the lava. Luckily, Cat grabbed the tuft of green fur of his chest and pulled him away from the edge.

"Thanks," Grinch replied while setting Max down on the ground and dusted himself off.

"Wow, your heart really did grow three sizes on that Christmas morning," Cat implied with a witty tone.

Grinch shot a deadpanned stare at the cat. "And you used to be in a horror movie at one point in 2003. What's your point exactly?"

"What horror movie are we talking--?" Cat gasped as if he remembered. "Aha! I know what you're talking about! And that cat wasn't me! He's an imposter that can't speak rhymes!"

Grinch furrowed his brows. "Well, can you speak in rhymes?"

Cat pondered for a moment.

"Hmm, Let's see here.

I know that there are some words that you would like to hear.

But you wouldn't be able to bare.

In fact, it might summon a bear.

Words like these are quite ridiculous.

Yet meticulous.

Intriguing.

But yet misleading.

Now you say I can speak in rhymes.

But look at the time.

It's time to explore the unknown-."

"Guys," Guy called out to both Grinch and Cat from the other side as they shifted their gazes at him and the Lorax. "The vine please."

Grinch realized that he still had his grip on the vine. "Oh...oops. Sorry."

He let go of the vine as the vine swung towards them. Guy snatched the vine as Lorax grabbed it as well. They swung towards the Cat and the Grinch together, with the help of both Cat, Max, and Grinch towards the other cliff. The five of them made it to the other side.

"Well then," Cat broke the tensed silence. "Let's go find our friends, shall we?"

Cat marched onward through the cave with the others following him.

~.~

McWinkle and Chad strolled through the tomb where bones and skeletons were scattered everywhere. Chad had his gripped around McWinkle's arm tighter than usual, which McWinkle didn't seem to mind.

"So...what's with all of these skeletons?" Chad ignited the conversation.

"Dead people," McWinkle replied abrasively.

"Why did they die?"

They suddenly felt the vibration in the cave, almost as if it's an earthquake. McWinkle noticed a corpsed wrapped with thick strands of webs quickly, which the nerd couldn't see. He had his eyes broadened when he found a few more corpses that were wrapped in silk.

"Um...we might want to be careful of where we tread," McWinkle warned quietly.

"Why?" Chad asked while tilting his head in confusion.

McWinkle shushed Chad while leaning over to whisper. "Don't make a sound. We are not alone in this room."

Chad chuckled nervously. "That sounds like something from a horror movie--"

"Shh!" McWinkle shushed harshly as they heard chattering.

Chad yelped. "What's that noise?!"

"Shh!" McWinkle shushed him again more sternly. They heard more chattering from the ceilings as McWinkle slowly moved his gaze to notice a couple of medium size spiders treading on their webs above them. There's a hole on the ceiling full of thick webs that let the huge spider emerged among the other spiders. However, Chad could see the huge spider coming close to them.

"What is that thing?!?" Chad screamed while pointing his finger at the huge spider. McWinkle groaned in irritation as he picked Chad up off of his feet and sprinted through the tomb. The huge spider jumped down on the ground quickly, almost landing on the men. McWinkle sprinted through the webs that were weak as the spider crawled after them rapidly.

"McWinkle, look out!" Chad shouted as McWinkle saw a couple more small spiders ahead of them. They shot webs at the two men but McWinkle dodged them quickly while making a sharp turn right through the giant hole of the brick wall. The spider followed them through the wall. McWinkle noticed a gap with a strand of thick web hanging in the center of it.

"Hang on!" McWinkle yelled as Chad clutched onto his blue-furred chest tighter like a lifeline. McWinkle leaped onto the string of web and swung across towards the other side, jumping over the gap. He kept running as the spider kept chasing them with its giant eight legs.

~.~

Guy, Grinch, Max, Cat, and Lorax froze in position when they explored further through the caverns, hearing chattering behind them and feeling the ground shift underneath their feet.

"What was that noise?" Guy questioned his group quickly.

They turned around to notice two paths, the one they just walked through and the other dark unknown path. They squinted their eyes to notice the familiar blue-furred man carrying the purple-furred nerd through the dark hallway. Behind them was the giant spider chattering aggressively behind them.

"Run! Run!" McWinkle shouted at the group as they gasped in shock and began to make a run for it. Grinch picked Max up and bolted with the group before the spider could shoot webs at any of them.

As they were running, Guy glanced at McWinkle and Chad to notice something was off.

"Where's Michellee?!" Guy shouted his question to both McWinkle and Chad.

Chad switched his focus on Guy. "We thought she went back to get you guys!"

More collisions took place behind them as they all began to scream on top of their lungs.

~.~

Michellee approached a reeky bridge that will most likely break if she's not careful. She followed her gaze at the bridge until she noticed that she couldn't see the other side. It appeared to be dark and gloomy, which brought uncertainty into the young woman.

It's sudden that she heard screaming from behind as she turned around quickly towards the dark cavern hall from where she walked out from. The screams were getting louder and louder as if it's coming close to her. That's when she saw Guy, Cat, Grinch, Lorax, Max, McWinkle, and Chad bolting out of the cavern.

"Run, Chellee! Run!" Cat shouted on the top of his lungs while Michellee made a run for it through the bridge. The group followed after her as the bridge shook from the group running on it. The bridge ropes snapped on one side, causing the group to stumble on it and letting the bridge swing them onto the other side. They screamed as they went through the mysterious cloud in the middle. They bumped into the wall on the other side of the gap and noticed the spider staring at the mysterious black cloud they went through. The spider roared its last threat and scurried away from them as if he's giving up.

Michellee climbed on the bridge towards the other side with the group following her. As soon as everyone climbed up the bridge and crawled away from the edge, they stared out into the darkness while breathing heavily.

"Th-That was intense," Chad uttered while sighing deeply in relief as McWinkle let go of him. However, Chad still had his arms wrapped McWinkle's muscular ones like a Koala.

"I wonder why it gave up," Grinch replied with curiosity.

"This is the magical side. Luckily, dangerous creatures like the wall spiders couldn't see the other side of this gap," Lorax explained while standing up and stretching his back. "Oh boy! I haven't physical activity like that in a long time."

"If it were up to you, we would teleport," Cat indicated with his lips curved into a smug smirk.

"You can't do anything here. Even your magical hat won't be able to do any magic here," Lorax pointed out Cat's hat on Guy's head.

Guy began to have a headache as Cat switched hats with him.

"Why not?" Grinch questioned with a raised brow.

"Because we're in the magical realm. Science is magic, Math is magic, Logic is magic. It's basically this realm," Lorax added another explanation.

Grinch furrowed his brow while setting Max down on the floor."That doesn't make any sense."

"Well, welcome to the magical realm," Lorax replied with a shrug.

Michellee noticed Guy's hand trembled violently as it reached out through the cavern hall.

"Guys?" Michellee caught the attention of the group.

McWinkle looked to where Guy's hand was reaching out.

"What's going on with your hand, Guy?" Chad inquired in a concerned tone.

"I don't know," Guy uttered an answer, trying to recover his headache.

Grinch shifted his gaze at the Lorax. "How come Guy's powers were active but yours and Cat's hat wasn't?"

"That doesn't make any sense...it--wait!" Lorax figured something out. "Remember what I said about Guy's connection to the cave?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it may not be a magical connection but it's a magnetic connection. Something was attracting Guy's powers towards it," Lorax theorized.

"Magnetic fields in a magical realm? Why would that happen?" Grinch questioned the Lorax further.

Cat zoomed by Guy while glancing at his friends. "Let's find out, shall we?"

"Yeah, I agree. Let's go," Michellee replied determined while going ahead of the group.

Cat purred and whispered to Guy. "Meow, your girlfriend is sexy--"

"Stay the yip away from my girlfriend," Guy growled while going ahead to catch up with his lover. 

Cat chattered his teeth with a goofy smile and a stare at Michellee. "Guess I'll earn my kiss later."

He continued forward with the rest of the group following him.

~.~

Michael, Goat, Jean, Sam, Gabriella, and Vicky explored through the depths of the cave while E.B stayed back with the chickeraffe, Murray, and Karlos, the goldfish. Sam was holding a fire lit torch while leading his group through the darkness of the cave they were staying at. Jean was sitting on Michael's shoulder while looking around the darkness.

Gabriella gazed at Sam with concern. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Don't worry," Sam replied, trying to reassure her. "By the time we reached the dead end, we'll come right back."

"What if there is no dead end?" Michael uttered his question.

"Every cave has a dead-end, Michael," Vicky explained with a soft smile. "The question is, how long will it take to get to the dead-end?"

"And what does this cave hide?" Goat added his question while gazing around the darkness with a lit-up torch clutched in his jaw.

Jean noticed how close Goat's cheek was to the fire, close enough to the point where he could've burn himself. "You might want to be careful of where you hold the torch, mon ami--"

"It's fine, I've held torches before," Goat reassured Jean as they continued through the cave.

"Well, I only say this because the fire is dangerously close to your face. Maybe you should give the torch to someone who has hands," Jean pointed out.

Vicky nodded her head in agreement. "I think Jean has a point."

Goat furrowed his brow at the vixen. "Don't tell me that you're acting so concern for me all of the sudden."

"I'm just saying that I would listen to the mouse if I were you," Vicky stated while Goat rolled his eyes at her.

"I've seen Goat in action," Sam spoke up in the conversation. "He can pretty much survive anything. Even an avalanche!"

"An avalanche?" Michael gasped, interested in the topic.

Goat shook his head with a blush in embarrassment. "It's nothing--"

"He even survived that big fall in the air!" Sam replied excitedly, letting Goat groan in irritation.

"Because your briefcase buddy decided to strap a bomb on my back," Goat mumbled underneath his breath.

Vicky had her hands on her hips with her jaw dropped. "Are you some kind of an immortal or something?"

"I mean, he is thirty years old who happens to have wrinkles to make him look like an old goat," Jean stated with a smirk up at the vixen.

"Gee thanks, Jean. I don't know what I would do without your obvious statements," Goat implied sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Jean accepted Goat's sarcasm as a compliment.

The group approached a dead end to the cave they were exploring.

"Well, there you go. A dead end," Sam pointed out with a warm smile.

Gabriella turned around to notice something on the walls. "Sam...do you mind lighting up the torch there?"

"Huh?" Sam turned to Gabriella as the fire revealed the inscriptions on the wall. Goat, Vicky, Michael, and Jean noticed this too.

"What are those?" Michael uttered.

"Inscriptions," Sam answered, his lips slightly parted to try to decipher what the inscriptions were saying.

There's a drawing of swirly lines and people all of over the world on their knees and had their arms lifted high, appearing like they were singing high praises to whatever god or gods they were worshiping. As Sam went back to the beginning to where they stumbled upon, he saw that the inscriptions were different, as if they were telling a story. Everyone followed him and saw the same thing.

"Well, something tells me about what happened--"

"Perhaps, I could be of some help," They heard a voice speaking up behind them. They turned around to notice Murray standing behind them.

"Well, there were these weird inscriptions that look like it's telling a story," Sam explained to Murray what they found.

"Because it is telling a story, Sam I Am," Murray replied while caressing his fingers on the carvings.

"What story?" E.B asked, coming from the hole where they stumbled in. The chickeraffe had his head resting on hers as Karlos was held in his fishbowl by the little girl.

"Yeah, what story?" Michael repeated E.B's question.

Murray stared at the wall with his mouth twisted downwards. "It's a long time ago about six decades ago."

_Flashback: 60 Years Ago_

_Before any of you were born, an inventor named Theodore Radenburg invented torture pieces of equipment for prisoners of his town to get out any useful information about the crimes they committed._

A black-furred man was strapped onto a metal table with the contraption on his head. His tears leaked out of his eyes as the dark pink-furred inventor entered the room.

"Is he secured?" The inventor, Theodore, asked his fellow companion accompanying him into the torture chamber.

"Locked and secured," His companion answered faithfully.

"Good, good," Theodore uttered as he stared at the black-furred man. "Has he been baptized?"

"In the name of your whispers, sir."

"Good. Good."

"You're a maniac!" The man yelled at Theodore while Theodore stared at him coldly.

"You're a criminal. Criminals like you get punished. Flipped the switch," Theodore demanded at the scientist near the switch.

"Yes, sir--"

"No, no, no! Please! No!" The man begged as the switch was flipped on. The man began to scream in agony as the electricity zapped through his brain.

Theodore watched him suffering with a wicked smile slowly forming on his face.

_Apparently, this was a dangerous job. Not because it would risk Theodore's life...but because Theodore liked it too much. His mind was never in more focus than torturing those criminals. At this point, he thinks he's a god. Many criminals and innocent victims were tortured, about twenty of them per day. However, one day, a child was charged with a crime he didn't commit. The court, in which they didn't know any better, let Theodore deal with the child. He tortured the child the same way he tortured countless of criminals before until the child could no longer breathe._

_An innocent life was slaughtered for the first time in his life. However, Theodore didn't feel bad for his actions. Even when other people question him about this child he murdered, he said, "Think of this as execution for spoiled rotten children", despite not knowing what crime the child claimed he didn't commit._

_The court finally made up their minds. They banished Theodore out of their homeland and the scientists who were just like him went with him. But that doesn't stop him from taking more innocent lives. When a man with schizophrenia encountered them, they experimented with that man for weeks. Theodore wondered if he tortured a man long enough, would they obey every command he would tell them? There's only one way to find out._

_The man escaped from them, traumatized from all of the torture devices, and how much isolation they put him through like a helpless animal. The poor fool only ended up in a mental institution._

_What the man doesn't notice was that, when he escaped, he had these earplugs that he couldn't take off and a camera screwed inside of his head._

Theodore had the mic up against his mouth when he saw a nurse trying to help him by giving him his medication.

"Kill her," Theodore whispered in the mic. "Pick up the knife and kill her."

The man, who he tortured, picked up the knife and attacked the nurse with it. He stabbed the nurse's chest with the knife, with her crying out to him to stop. But he didn't stop. He kept stabbing her over and over again until she couldn't move her limbs.

When Theodore saw this, he smiled devilishly. "Now, slit your own throat. But make it quick. You suffered enough already."

The man nodded his head obediently and quickly slit on his own throat, his body falling onto the bloody nurse's corpse.

Theodore smiled proudly to himself while sitting forward on his chair in his lab room. "It worked. It worked."

_After the experiment was a success, Theodore decided to create a religion based on this. It, at first, consisted of Outsiders until Outsiders are defined as the ones that won't listen to the whispers. As the years grow, more people became influenced by the Whispers and that's where the religion was born._

_Present: 60 years later_

Everyone listened to Murray's story as they got to the last inscription with the carvings of people on their knees.

Gabriella raised her brow. "I've studied the book from those people. It said something about 'electrocuting the impure'. What do they mean by that?"

"People with disorders, my dear," Murray clarified. "Theodore believes that anyone with a disorder must be resolved by pure torture and agony to make him fit in. Suffering is what makes us mold into society. Suffering is what makes us doubt others, even ourselves. Suffering is what scares people to become normal. Suffering is what makes those with disorders normal or disappear."

"Oh man, that's horrible," Vicky sympathized while gazing up at the inscriptions.

Michael held her hand subconsciously while staring up at the inscriptions, which Goat noticed. Goat felt his heart drop but he tried to focus on the stupid inscriptions and the story.

"Well, there goes my sweet dreams for tonight," Goat muttered sarcastically from rethinking that story.

Gabriella glanced up at Murray. "Who are those people who were listed on the front of the book?"

"From what I can guess, it's the people who were considered 'impure'," Murray replied with a shrug.

Sam pondered deeply. "My dad."

"What was that?" Michael heard Sam's mutter.

"My dad was on that list. I can't imagine what he must have gone through with those people. I wonder of how he even met my mom," Sam replied with curiosity in his tone.

Gabriella put her hand on Sam's shoulder for comfort, causing Sam to look up at her. "We'll find out soon. Let's just hope the others will make it back."

Sam smiled softly at her. "Yeah. Right."

~.~

Guy, Michellee, Cat, Grinch, Max, Lorax, McWinkle, and Chad explored further through the magical realm while Guy's hand was stretched out as a guide to where they need to go.

Michellee noticed Guy holding his head slightly. "Are you doing okay?"

Guy glanced back at her. "Yeah...I'm fine." He moved his eyes from the top of her head towards her feet, noticing how different she looked with a messy ponytail and short skirt. "You look different."

"Oh-Oh this? This is just temporary until I could--"

"You look beautiful," Guy uttered with a soft tired smile at her.

Michellee blushed at the compliment. "Thank you."

Guy frowned. "Why did you leave to go here?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you left and we don't know where you guys are. I know Murray told you about something in the cave but...why didn't you stay for a moment? Why did you leave?"

Michellee sealed her lips while sighing. "I just want to help you in some way. In any way I can. I just...can't see you suffer in your sleep. I want you to be better and I thought that if I jumped in after that thing that was supposed to help you with your nightmares, it would at least help you and you don't have to journey into that cave all by yourself with hallucinations and everything--"

"Honey," Guy began while holding her hand. "I don't want you to get hurt. You could've been hurt...or even killed. Please, please, don't scare me like that again. Please."

Michellee paused for a moment while nodding her head. "I won't. I'm sorry."

"It's unlike you to be reckless."

"I know. I just want to help you."

Guy used his free arm that wasn't stretched out and hugged her by the side. "I know. I just don't want you to get hurt. I love you."

"I love you too."

Cat, McWinkle, Chad, Max, Grinch, and the Lorax noticed the couple hugging each other ahead of them with warm smiles.

"Aww, I ship them," Cat replied while nodding his head in approval.

"Why would you put them on a boat?" Lorax asked with a brow raised his brow.

"That's not what he meant," Grinch whispered to the Lorax.

"I mean...now seeing them together, I guess I ship it the same as Sam and Guy," Cat replied while everyone's brows were raised in absolute confusion.

"What's up with Sam and Guy?" McWinkle uttered a question.

"Well, they act like the perfect gay couple--"

"We're not gay!" Guy shouted from ahead, overhearing the conversation.

Everyone glanced ahead of them to notice Michellee's and Guy's glares at them.

"Besides, Sam already has his eye on your daughter," Guy responded while looking ahead of them.

"Oh really?" Cat questioned dramatically. "I haven't even noticed."

"You really didn't notice?" Grinch asked Cat with an arched brow. "She's your daughter and I've seen Sam flirt with her a couple of times--"

"Did you just say...flirt?!" Cat gasped while popping his knuckles. "I know Gabriella liked him but I didn't think he would like her back. I thought he would be too gay to be straight."

"He could be bisexual," Chad uttered.

"Well, has anyone seen him kiss a boy and a girl?" Grinch inquired the group.

"Is this really important to discuss?" McWinkle groaned irritably. "We'll question Sam's identity later. Right now, we need to--"

His sentence was interrupted when they entered the grand room with dark walls and the pale sunlight shining down the holes. But that's not what shocked the whole group. What shocked them the most was the number of burnt corpses and skeletons. Some of them were hanged on the single-chain wrapped around their necks, like they were hanged from the gallows. Some of them were chained down by being tied around the wrists, ankles, and throat. And some of them had bullet holes on their chests, burnt up, and had some kind of dart that injected a lethal poison into their bodies.

On the other side of the grand room, they saw a black door that was shimmering in the light. There's a lever on the other side and multiple hidden panels in front of them.

"They looked like they all died of stepping on those panels," McWinkle pointed out to the group.

"That means that we got to be careful of where we step," Grinch indicated.

Guy saw his hand trembling slightly while looking ahead. He noticed the door vibrating about the same speed his hand was trembling.

"The magnetic connection," Guy muttered underneath his breath.

"It's straight up ahead," The Lorax spoke up.

"It can't be that easy, can it?" Cat asked his group.

Grinch knelt down on one knee to get closer speculation on the panels. "With the right understanding and knowledge, it should be easy. There has to be a pattern here that we could be safe on. Look! See? There are different patterns on each panel."

Max barked a few sentences.

"I concur. There must be a way to solve a riddle," Grinch replied while understanding his dog friend.

**_As the group debated about solving the patterns, Michellee glanced ahead at the door to notice it vibrating, which freaked her out. It's sudden that her eyes moved more upwards to observe something odd. There were a few chains hanging without anyone hanged on them. Then, there were edges that were like stairs on the sides except it's above the panels. An idea sparked in her brain but was she willing to risk this idea? Was she willing to risk herself? Those questions were immediately answered in her mind._ **

Michellee stepped out of the group as she beganto climb on the fallen statue to the right side. She then hopped onto one of the panels on the right side. She jumped up to the other one but almost slipped off. Luckily, she climbed on it before she lost her grip. That's when the group noticed her climbing up the panels.

"Michellee!" Guy called while extending his other hand out for her, trying to use his mind to pull her back to the group but it wasn't working. He then recalled that they're in a magical realm, his powers or anything powerful won't work. "Michellee! What are you doing?!"

"I'm going to get that lever!" Michellee shouted back as she hopped onto the last panel on the right side.

"Are you crazy?!" Chad screamed at her. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Wait, hold on!" McWinkle barked while noticing her swinging on the chains to get to the other side. "Maybe this doesn't have anything to do with the pattern."

"What do you mean?" Grinch inquired the blue-furred man.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with the patterns. If we step either of them, we'll get killed," McWinkle pointed out as Michellee made it to the other side.

"Go, Michellee! WHOO!!!" Cat cheered for Michellee as she slide down the statue on the opposite side and reached the lever. By then, she pulled the lever and the panels disappeared, replaced by the black cold floor. Everyone stared at Michellee in shock while she cornered a tired smirk at the group.

Grinch stepped on it to make sure there weren't any panels. "It's clear."

Cat looked out to the audience. "She's so smart! I love it!"

"Cat!" Guy snarled while getting defensive with Cat talking about his girlfriend.

"How do you know I was talking about Michellee?"

"Because she's the only woman here."

Cat widened his cocky grin. "A sexy smart woman."

Guy groaned irritably as his hand was pulling him harshly forward, ahead of the group.

McWinkle and Chad held Guy back a bit.

"What's going on, pal?" Chad asked Guy with a raised brow.

"I need to get to that door," Guy replied, out of breath like something was suffocating him. They looked ahead at the vibrating door, thumping like it's alive and awake.

"Well, let's go then," Grinch determined as everyone walked across the room to approach Michellee. She joined them in approaching the black door while noticing a headboard that had words carved on it.

"Door of Secrets?" Michellee read the words.

"It's where the answer to Guy's powers are hidden," The Lorax explained while Guy's hand was trembling violently.

The Knox's vision began to become a blur.

"How do we get it?" McWinkle asked with an arched brow.

The Lorax gave a deadpanned stare at him. "We open the door. But...it will require a key."

"What key?" Chad uttered.

Everyone shifted their attention to Guy.

"Me," Guy mumbled as his hand was pulled to the door. He took a deep breath and walked towards the door carefully. His trembling hand finally rested against it. Immediately, Guy blacked out while feeling his body being pulled towards the door.

"GUY!" He heard everyone scream before the air was cold and silent.

~.~

_Guy's Vision/Dream:_

Guy groaned deeply, his eyes sealed close. He felt his body tied to a chair as he began to flutter his eyes open. His vision was nothing but a blur at first until he heard the fire crackling in front of him. He lifted his head while his eyelids were half-open. He noticed that he's in a living room setting with the fire burning the wood in the fireplace. He blinked his eyes a couple of times for his vision to become clear. He gasped in shock to quickly realize that he's tied up on a chair, struggling to get out.

"Don't you love fire, Guy?"

Guy heard a familiar voice, his eyes trembling in fear. He slowly moved his gaze up to see a familiar red-furred maniac with a crooked smile planted on his face.

"Jeckles?"

"It's about time we see each other again," Jeckles said with a prideful tone.

"Wha-What? I thought you're dead!"

"Physically, yes. But never spiritually." Jeckles's crooked smile widened after he replied.

"S-Spiritually? What on earth do you mean--?" Guy gasped in sudden realization. "I know you're the one who put those powers inside of me...therefore--"

"I'm inside of you," Jeckles interrupted Guy's sentence while pacing in front of Guy.

"Why did you do it? Why did you put it inside of me?"

"He told me to do it. He said that you'll be useful later...and it turns that he's right."

"Who's he?!" Guy angrily interrogated the maniac.

"The Influencer. What? You never heard of him?"

"What's his name?"

"Ah, ah, ah," Jeckles denied while waving his finger at the Knox. "You can't have all of the answers at once."

Guy's tears leaked out of his eyes. "What does he want from me?!"

"He wants you to join us. Join the Gatherers of the Whispers--"

"I rather die than join lunatics like you!"

Jeckles's smile completely disappeared with a piercing glare at him. "What's holding you back?"

"What?"

"What's holding you back? Is it your friends? Well, that can be arranged--"

"Don't you dare hurt them!" Guy barked at Jeckles.

"Oh, I'm inside of you, Guy. I'm not the one who will hurt them," Jeckles replied with his cocky grin back on his face.

Tears streamed down on Guy's cheeks. "Why would I join your cult?"

"Well, I figure you wouldn't want your family and friends to suffer. So...if they die...you won't have much to live for. Luckily, your family was checked off the list."

Guy began to clenched his teeth in bitter rage. "You monster!!"

Guy struggled in his bonds with his eyes glowing red in pure anger.

"Oh, Guy, if only you realized that if you said yes...no one would've been dead--"

"You would kill them all either way!!!"

"Not unless they join us--"

"But they won't!"

"Because they're stubborn. Like you. So sad that you couldn't even heal your own parents."

"Do you have something to do with my healing powers?"

"I have something to do with all of your powers, Guy. I didn't let you heal your parents because...well, they should've stayed dead instead of being revived by you and your brother."

"W-What? You-You maniac! They're my family! You let them die! You let them die you monster!"

"No, it's you who let them die," Jeckles corrected Guy with a smirk. "You're the monster, Guy. In fact, you almost turned into one."

"Shut up!" Guy cried out while trying to get free to strangle the maniac.

"In fact, you failed your family and soon you'll fail your friends--"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Guy lowered his head while screwing his eyes shut tightly while screaming in agony. His head began to pound violently with tears in his eyes.

"Come on, Guy, aren't you tired of being a constant failure--?"

"Shut up! Please, just shut up!"

"You're better off without them, Guy--"

"Enough!!!" Guy roared with some force pushing Jeckles back against the wall. He glared at the red-furred maniac. "Your people took my parents away from me! Your people took away my home! They took them from me! You son of a yip! You selfish son of a yip!" Guy sobbed non-stop, his body shaking. He lost his voice from yelling, his voice croaked. "I-I just want to see them again...I-I just want to see my family again. You have no idea what's that like. I-I had to watch them die...twice. I-I can't do this anymore. I-I can't---"

Guy's sentence was interrupted when he cried more.

"I miss them so much," Guy uttered while shaking in his seat.

Jeckles stared at Guy and then at the fire. "It's time to go. Beware of the Influencer, Guy. He'll tell you the things you want to hear."

With that said, Jeckles walked out of the room and into the darkness, leaving Guy weeping silently.

~.~

_Reality:_

"Guy, honey, you opened the door!" Michellee shouted in surprise when the door prompted open in front of them. She's holding his limp body in her arms while trying to wake her boyfriend. "Guy, Guy, wake up!"

McWinkle knelt down beside Michellee and tried to shake Guy's shoulders. "Guy! Guy, wake up!"

The Lorax stormed into the room to find darkness and a stool that was supposed to hold the most important item that would help Guy with his nightmares. But...there was nothing.

"W-What?" Lorax stuttered while looking around the place.

"Was this room supposed to be empty?" Cat uttered, following the Lorax.

"It's gone...It's not here."

"Oh great, we came for nothing," Grinch responded with a groan.

Max barked a few sentences.

"True. But how do we get out of here?" Grinch asked his dog.

"There's a way out that way," Lorax pointed ahead of them while befuddled. "This doesn't make sense. I put it here years ago. This is just--oh boy...someone has it."

"Who?"

"I don't know. Somebody!"

"Guy," Michellee called as everyone turned their attention to her, McWinkle, and Guy.

"We got to get back to our cave," McWinkle determined while hauling Guy over his shoulder. "Come on!"

Everyone quickly got through the exit that the Lorax pointed ahead of them. Back to the realistic realm and back out into the Jungle of Nool. 

_**To Be Continued...** _


	14. Episode Fourteen: The Castle of Glass

_**Episode Fourteen: The Castle of Glass** _

_Guy's Dream:_

"Uncle Guy, wake up," A sweet familiar innocent voice called from the dark void. "Come on, wake up."

Guy groaned a bit while fluttering his eyes open. When he opened his eyes, everything was shiny but not to the point where it blinded him. It's almost like his atmosphere was bright but he could see where he was at. Right in front of him, he could see his purple-furred niece with her hair short and cute ponytail that stood straight up from her head. She had her cute yellow dress on with a bright smile to match it.

Guy widened his eyes a bit in recognition. "Tina?" He realized that he's been sleeping on his bed in his own room at Stovepipe Junction...or was it?

"Come on, Grandma is making breakfast," Tina urged with a cheerful voice and skipped out of his bedroom.

"Grandma?" Guy uttered after she left, tears edging on the bottom of his eyelids. He indeed realized now that he's in Stovepipe Junction...but wait, wasn't his hometown destroyed? Was this a dream? It had to be, right?

Guy got up from his bed and slowly walked out of his bedroom. He heard laughing and chattering downstairs. Those were the sounds of joy that he hadn't heard in such a while. He peeked into the kitchen to notice his two older brothers, Todd and Stanley entertaining the kids while his grandfather, who's young and handsome, sitting on the chair and watching the family laugh and play together.

Guy's heart was turned into mush when he witnessed this, tears drawing its mark on his cheeks. He held his sobs back, knowing that he couldn't just burst out crying. However, his brothers noticed.

"Hey, little bro!" Todd greeted cheerfully as both of them zoomed towards Guy and hugged him tightly.

Guy buried his face into their furs, letting out muffled sobs.

"Is...everything okay, Guy?" Stanley asked while stepping back from him a bit.

"Yeah...I-I--"

"Guy." He heard someone calling for him as he turned his head to notice his parents. His father stood by his mother with an arm looped around her and bright grins that were just so warm to stare at.

"Mom...Dad," Guy uttered, trying his best to not cry.

His mother smiled warmly. "I-I made this." She showed a plate of Green Eggs and Ham to Guy, instantly reminding him of Sam. "I hope I make it just as good as Sam's. I know that Sam is an excellent cook when it comes to these things."

"You want to give them a try?" His father offered gently.

_**Guy stared at the Green Eggs and Ham, instantly having flashes of his life. Even if he disliked them at first, even as a child, he still remembered the food. He remembered being the only kid in the cafeteria looking at it with pure disgust, he remembered Sam's persistence to get him to try it, and he remembered meeting a bunch of different people with the food present. Everyone was bound together thanks to this delicious delectable. Even his own family was destined to be with him...even if they're gone now. This honestly felt like heaven to Guy. The food not only reminded him of Sam but of others that he dared himself to not forget.** _

Guy took the plate and stared at the food sizzling in front of him. His eyes got watery but it's not from the food. He picked up a fork and stabbed the egg with it. He lifted the egg up to his mouth and consumed it. He chewed it slowly, tears running non-stop down on his face.

"Did you like it?" his mother asked, her tone in concern when she noticed Guy's tears leaking out of his eyes.

Guy swallowed the egg down his throat, now his throat throbbed from swallowing while crying. He edged a tearful smile. "It's really green...super eggy. It's just perfect."

"Aww, Guy," his mother gasped slightly while hugging him tightly. Soon, his father joined and hugged him as tightly as he could. Guy hugged both of his parents, embracing them like they're a lifeline. Soon enough, his nieces and nephews joined in the hug with sympathetic smiles, followed by his two older brothers and his grandfather.

The family around him seemed to fade away in the brightening light. All he got left was his parents.

He held them as tight as he could, tears leaking out of his eyes and down to his wrinkled cheeks.

"It's time to go, son," His father soothed him.

"N-No! Please, stay with me," Guy cried, holding them for his dear life. "I-I don't want to lose you. Please."

"What are you talking about?" His mother uttered sweetly as she broke away from her son and cupped his face with her heavenly gentle smile. "You never lost us."

"B-But...you-you were dead," Guy stuttered. "I never got to see you guys again."

"Son," His father spoke up gently while placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "We may not be with you in reality but we're always with you in here." His father put his hand on Guy's chest, causing him to sob even more. His parents hugged him tightly as the light became brighter and began to engulf them.

"Please," Guy begged, sobbing into his parent's shoulders. "Don't go. Don't make me wake up."

"You have to wake up, sweetie. But, don't worry," His mother replied softly.

"We'll always be with you. Please, don't forget about us," His father uttered his last words as the light engulfed them in front of Guy.

"I won't...I promise." Guy wept as the light warmed him up.

~.~

_Reality:_

"Guy, wake up, you're dreaming."

He heard someone's voice as he slowly lifted his eyelids to realized that it's Murray leaning over him. He suddenly realized that he's back in the cave with everyone else with Michellee sleeping deeply next to him and the sun was slowly rising.

"Are you alright?" Murray asked in concern as Guy wiped the tears away from his cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Usually, fresh air helps clear the mind from the nightmares," Murray suggested. "Would you mind if you can take a walk with me?"

"Um...sure," Guy replied groggily.

"Good, I'll meet you outside," Murray indicated as he strolled outside of the cave.

Guy sat up slowly and carefully to not wake his lover up. He stood up and followed Murray out of the cave to the Jungle of Nool.

"So...how did I end up here?"

"McWinkle carried you all the way here," Murray explained as they began to walk through the Jungle of Nool. "You were just deep asleep. We all thought that you're in a coma or something."

"Oh...How do you know McWinkle?"

"Oh, well, I used to be his partner when we were solving cases in the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S. force. However, I retired before he did and he's partnered with someone else."

"Gluntz?"

"Yes, that's right. She seemed like a sweet girl," Murray replied with a soft smile.

"Well, a little dipsy."

"True, but she seemed more excited about the job than both McWinkle and me." Murray chuckled at the end of his sentence. "So...about those powers. How long have you had them?"

"Three months."

"And how did you get them?"

Guy laughed nervously. "Well, it's kind of a long story."

"I'm up for those."

"Well, um, Louis accidentally put them in me and then Jeckles decided to pass his own powers into me so...yeah."

"Oh my, my, no wonder you have nightmares."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know Louis personally since he's McWinkle's son and I know that he's a good boy. So, the chemical Louis made is something good. However, with Jeckles, if he gave those other powers to you, they must be evil. Therefore, those powers have to collide within you. That stuff happens in comic books all the time. In fact, I can't believe I found your friend, Chad, to be in the same interest in comic books as I am."

"Do you happen to know anything about the chemical Louis made?"

"Well, I helped him create it but we've never intended it to go into anybody like you. But it was an accident and accidents happen. However, it made a grand effect on the scale of things."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one, you are greatly affected by the powers inside of you. For other things, people either look at you as a Savior or as a villain."

Guy sighed deeply. "I'm nowhere near any of those."

Murray nodded his head in understanding. "A man is flawed despite their powers. You can't be everyone's savior but you might be a villain in someone else's story. Even if you had such good intentions, you might be looked at as someone they must fear and ridicule."

"Why would they want to ridicule me?"

"Oh, for all kinds of reasons. I'm sure they'll find it. Once they find it, they'll use it to stab you in the back."

Guy twisted the corner of his mouth downwards. "That seems like a cold world."

"That's why we need people like you to bring the fire to the world," Murray replied with a soft smile. "Just to make it warm."

Guy pondered about what Murray said, deep in thought until they realized they walked further away from the cave. Then, they noticed a stoned castle built on the side of the snowy mountain. That's where they stopped and had their eyes widened.

"My, my, it looks like they're setting up a special event," Murray observed while inferring to the people moving tables and setting up the outside lights.

Guy noticed the familiar cursed symbol with a circular shape and two snakes crossing over each other. "It's them. Those Gatherers of the Whispers. Are they setting up a party?"

"Looks like it," A familiar voice spoke up behind them, which scared both of the men and caused them to turn around. They soon saw Cat leaning closely from behind.

"Cat, you just gave us a heart attack," Guy growled, having his hand over his heart.

"Dear me, could've you just not do that?" Murray groaned irritably.

"Sorry if my presence causes some irritation," Cat remarked with his arms crossed. "However, I'm a sucker for parties."

"No, we need to stay away from those guys," Guy cautioned while spying on them. "Dilkins only knows what will happen if we even try to attend to those parties."

"Well, when you're passed out, we couldn't find anything that might help you with those nightmares. We made a theory that someone might've stole it before we could get to it. I have a theory that the thing that's supposed to help you is in that building," Cat theorized while pointing at the castle. "Besides, we need to let loose and have some fun. What do you think?"

"We can't just walk in and just join the party whenever we want to," Guy snarled a bit at Cat's predicament.

"You know, I think Cat has a point," Murray agreed with Cat. "With proper disguises and fake identities, we'll able to bypass security and everyone in the building."

"Yeah! There we go," Cat egged Murray on with the idea.

"We're going to scam them?!" Guy asked, shocked.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you haven't done worst, Mr. Saint," Cat teased with a playful smirk.

Guy rolled his eyes at Cat's teasing.

"Guy?!" They heard familiar voices calling out to Guy simultaneously as they looked at the familiar blue-furred man with fluffy cheeks and yellow-furred woman.

"Gluntz?! Louis?!" Guy recognized instantly with a bright smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Gluntz asked Guy while hugging him like a brother.

"I was going to ask the same about you," Guy replied as Gluntz let go of him.

"Murray?" Louis recognized Murray while Murray tipped his fedora to Louis.

"You know him?" Cat asked Louis with a raised brow.

Murray furrowed his brow. "Yes, he's McWinkle's son."

"Alrighty then," Cat replied with a sigh.

"Cat in the Hat," Louis uttered, noticing Cat.

Cat arched a brow. "Do I even know you?"

"No, but I heard a lot about you. Especially about the scams and fake identities," Louis pointed out to Cat.

"Oh, I see," Cat responded while nodding his head in understanding.

"What are you guys doing here?" Guy asked both of them.

Gluntz and Louis exchanged brief glances at each other and then at Guy.

"We are on the case of recapturing Snerz. Our intel has lead us to this castle," Louis replied while looking up at the stone castle. "He's hosting a party there along with his partner--"

"Magnus Stanley," Cat interrupted while looking at the couple.

Louis and Gluntz became wide-eyed at Cat's knowledge.

"How in the world do you know? We've been trying to decipher that voice for weeks," Gluntz pointed out to Cat in shock.

Cat clenched his teeth. "I have my run-ins with the Gatherers of the Whispers. They were not peaceful people. I did meet Magnus Stanley. He's the one that told those poor people what they want to hear."

Guy gasped when his memories of seeing Jeckles triggered in his mind.

_**Jeckles warned him something...something before he left. And, for a villain like him, why would he warn Guy about the Influencer? Guy had no idea but Magnus Stanley seemed to be the fit for the Influencer. He could recall that after the events happened between him and Jeckles, Jeffrey told him how they got in and rescued him and his friends, including having his grandfather disguise himself as a therapist from Magnus Stanley for Jeckles to distract that maniac. But why would someone like Magnus Stanley send a therapist for Jeckles Abbot? Was it a check-up to see if Jeckles could turn back? Or if he couldn't as long as he's under the cult's thumb? This part made Guy a bit more curious about Jeckles despite his crooked ways and a horrific backstory. If Snerz is hosting a party, Magnus would definitely be there.** _

Cat noticed Guy staring off into space. "What's the matter, Guy? You seemed conflicted."

Guy turned to Cat, Murray, Gluntz, and Louis. "We have to get in that castle."

"Look at that! Mr. Saint finally got his hands dirty!" Cat hollered with a laugh.

"I have a plan on how we can get in that castle," Louis implemented urgently.

Murray glanced back in their direction. "We have others waiting in that cave."

"Great, let's tell them the plan," Louis replied with a nod as they went back to the cave they were staying at.

~.~

"So, let me get this straight," Michael spoke up as everyone was gathered in the cave and listened in to Louis's plan about the castle ahead of them. "We sneak in through the sewers?"

"That's disgusting. I may be a mouse but I'm no rat," Jean implied with a disgusted look on his face.

"Yeah, and Gluntz, Michellee, Guy, and I will blend in with the crowd and Sam and--what's your name--?"

"Gabriella," Gabriella introduced herself to Louis.

"Oh my gosh, I love your dress," Gluntz complimented on Gabriella's dress.

"Oh my gosh, thank you. I love your hat."

"Oh my gosh, thank you--"

McWinkle cleared his throat abruptly to get their attention. "Ladies."

Both Gluntz and Gabriella silenced themselves as Louis continued to explain his plan.

"Sam and Gabriella will crawl through the vents while Cat watches the cameras with the Grinch. The rest of you need to stay here," Louis explained the rest of the plan as Cat pondered for a second.

"Why are we being so complicated with all that cliche spy stuff when we could just walk right in?"

"And how do you suggest we walk right in, Cat?" McWinkle asked Cat.

Cat glanced back at Louis. "Can I see the tickets you collected from the cult members?"

Louis gave Cat the tickets while he examined them. He took his hat off of his head and put his hand in it. He pulled out the tickets that were obviously fake but not to the people who don't know Cat very well.

"I created fake identities that required makeup and no questions from security guards," Cat responded in a whimsical tone.

"For...all of us?" Grinch asked with an arched brow.

"Of course, we all deserve some party time. P-A-R-T. Y? Because we gotta!" Cat announced with a bright grin. He placed his hat in the center of the cave as a multiple of doppelgangers that looked just like Cat popped out of the hat, which everyone widened their eyes in shock except Gabriella.

"This is starting to get creepy," Sam whispered to Gabriella.

"He can duplicate himself whenever the situation is necessary," Gabriella muttered to Sam.

Sam stared at her wide-eyed. "This is necessary?!"

"What's wrong, Sammy? Too creepy for you?" Cat stated with a smirk.

Sam nodded his head slightly. "It's starting to get creepy."

"I'm on the same boat, buddy," Guy remarked to Sam in a hushed tone.

"Oh come on, guys, it's time for a makeover!" Cat replied as he snapped his fingers. After his fingers snapped, the chairs popped out of nowhere and slid over to everyone except for E.B, Murray, and the animals. Everyone fell onto the chairs as the chairs skid towards two sides of the cave, separating the boys from the girls. Grinch, McWinkle, Chad, Louis, Guy, Sam, Goat, Lorax, Michael, and Jean were on one side while Michellee, Gluntz, Gabriella, and Vicky were on the other side.

Cat's doppelgangers split up towards each side to attend to each participant in this makeover.

One of Cat's doppelgangers peered close behind Guy as a desk with a mirror popped up in front of him to show off his reflection.

"I'm gonna make you sexy. So sexy, your girlfriend will be the one proposing to you," Cat's doppelganger announced with a teasing grin.

"Cat, we don't need a makeover," Guy uttered with a sigh.

"Oh, I'm not Cat. He's Cat," Cat's doppelganger pointed at the seat next to Guy for the Knox to see the real Cat in the Hat getting the makeover.

"A little to the left," Cat requested to his doppelganger with a purr. The doppelganger nodded his head and brushed his fluffy cheek. Cat smiled while relaxing back in his chair. "Isn't this fun?"

"Sometimes I question your mental capacity," Guy remarked with an arched brow as the doppelganger attending him took his crumpled brown hat and placed it aside. He began to combed Guy's head delicately as Guy stared at Cat.

"And sometimes I question your lack of faith," Cat uttered with a relaxed smile. "Come on, have I ever let you down?"

"Uh--"

"That should be a no," Cat interrupted with a teasing smile and then he laughed after he made a joke. "I'm just kidding. Come on, relax, and have some fun. Let my doppelgangers spoil you."

"But this isn't supposed to be--" Guy yelped when one of Cat's doppelgangers massaged his shoulders a bit too harshly to untie the knots on his shoulders.

"My, my, don't you get tensed up so easily," Cat's doppelganger pointed out with a small giggle.

Grinch watched Guy squirming around with a chuckle at him until another of Cat's doppelganger that was attending him put a tie around his neck.

"Ready for the magic trick?" The doppelganger replied to the Grinch.

"Uh--magic trick--?"

The doppelganger pulled down his tie and a black suit appeared out of nowhere along with a white plain buttoned-up shirt and black slacks. His blue tie was still intact around his neck.

"Ooh, elegant and mucho sexy," The doppelganger of Cat complimented dramatically with a purr. "Just the way I like it."

Grinch arched a brow while looking down at his suit. "This is just a plain suit."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about the suit," Cat responded with a wink as he added a wig with slick brown hair on top of Grinch's head.

Grinch played with the brown hair wig with a furrowed brow. "What in Seuss's name is this?"

"You're Grinchlock Holmes, a famous detective who's obsessed with homicide cases and your partner with Whatson."

"That doesn't sound like a good name."

"Oh, it is down according to the neighbors down in Baker Street," Cat's doppelganger responded with a sly smirk.

Chad and McWinkle were being groomed by the other doppelgangers with Chad being ticklish when they massaged his feet.

"Stop it--hahahahaha! Stop it! Stop it!" Chad laughed out loud, which caused the men to chuckle quietly along with the nerd.

"Is everything okay?!" They heard Michellee shouting from behind them.

"Yeah, Chad's just ticklish!" McWinkle replied with a giggle.

Meanwhile, with the ladies, Michellee had her hair brushed to get all the knots out. However, it caused some minor pain but she tried to not yelp in surprise when Cat's doppelganger brushed the knots out of her long poofy brown hair. Gabriella giggled when Cat's other doppelganger brushed her hair gently and elegantly.

About an hour went by as the men were the first to finish in their makeover. Guy had a black suit on with his brown clean hat that stood straight up and a purple flower placed on his head. Chad had his glasses back with his prescriptions matching up with his eyewear that Cat somehow could pull out of his hat. He had a black polo shirt with a red polka dot bowtie. McWinkle had glasses on that were obviously fake as well with a blue cap. His bright blue vest glimmered in the light. His son, Louis, had a black suit with black pants, a black top-hat, and a white tie. Michael just had a black-tie on with a white shirt and tan pants and Jean had his black suit as well. Lorax had his monocle while wearing a black hat and suit. Sam had his funny looking black mustache with his red hat still intact. The only thing that changed about the hat was the appearance of white spots on it. Goat had a white buttoned-up shirt with dark sunglasses and sleeves rolled up.

Michael noticed Goat's appearance with a shocked look. "Wow, man, you look good."

Goat blushed slightly. "Uh...thanks, you too."

"Aw, thanks, man."

They all stood in a line with a stare set outside of the cave. Cat's doppelgangers all zoomed back into his hat and jumped right back in it as Cat placed it on top of his head. The men glanced at Cat to notice that he's wearing brown shoes, pure white long socks that almost reached up to his knees, tan shorts, a tan buttoned-up shirt, and a red ascot. They had their eyes widened in shock at Cat's appearance.

"It's smoking time!" Cat yelled in excitement as the ladies were done with their makeover.

Guy had his jaw dropped when he saw Michellee coming out towards them. She had make-up on with glimmering pink lip gloss and wearing a pink sparkling dress. She had her pink gloves on that reached to her elbows and a pink bonnet with a blue ribbon hanging on one side and tied around a pink rose that was placed on it. Red blushes made their marks on her cheeks as her hair was no longer a messy braid. It's neatly tied with blue hairbands.

"Whoa, Mom!" E.B gasped in shock at her mother.

"Uh...is this too much?" Michellee asked her daughter while lifting her dress slightly.

"No, it's perfect," Guy muttered underneath his breath but Michellee heard it.

Michellee blushed at Guy's compliment while etching a tender smile. "Thank you, honey."

"No problem," Guy said while smiling softly at her.

Cat whistled at Michellee and clicked his tongue with a teasing smirk, causing her to lose her smile.

Michael, Goat, and Jean watched Vicky coming out of the dressing room with her smirk shown on her face. Their eyes widened immediately as Vicky approached Michael, who had his jaw dropped. Goat used his hoof to close the fox's mouth while staring at the vixen. The vixen was wearing a black feathered dress with a black Eugenie hat that was tilted slightly to the left. She strutted passed by them while her tail playfully tickled Michael's nose, which caused the fox to sneeze after her tail lost contact with his face.

"Wife and child. Wife and child," Jean mumbled to himself, trying not to look at Vicky's extravagant beauty.

Goat just rolled his eyes at her.

Gluntz entered the crowd with a red silk dress and her cap nowhere in sight. She had her bangs partially covering her eyebrows. Her appearance caught Louis's eye. Louis stared at her wide-eyed as if he's speechless about her looks.

"Wow, Gluntz--"

"I know. It's not every day you see this--"

"You're beautiful," Louis complimented, which caused Gluntz to blush.

"Thank you...You look handsome," Gluntz complimented back.

Louis stifled a giggle. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Sam chuckled to himself from seeing Louis and Gluntz interact with each other until his face lost his grin and his eyes just sparkled when Gabriella walked towards the group.

She still had her heart-shaped birthmark on her forehead and another one peeking on her neck, playing peek-a-boo under her purple sparkling dress. Her brown hair was brushed and in a high ponytail. Her dress fit her perfectly without her stomach popping out slightly. Sam didn't realize that he had his mouth opened agape as she approached him.

"Hey, Sam," She uttered as Sam couldn't take his eyes off of her. She smiled nervously, having no idea why Sam was staring at her like that.

Cat noticed this while glancing at Sam. "Sam.exe has stopped working. I repeat, Sam.exe has stopped working!"

"I think he's processing his thoughts," Grinch stated while poking at Sam's shoulder.

"Sam, are you in la-la land? If you are, could you take me with you?" Cat asked Sam but Sam didn't answer.

"Sam!" Guy shouted his name, managing to snap the small Who out of his trance.

Sam shook his head while edging up a faint grin. "Oh sorry...I, um, I, uh--"

"I'm sorry if I--"

"No, no, don't apologize. You're gorgeous." Sam slipped in the compliment without realizing it. Gabriella blushed madly as Sam finally realized that he just complimented her. Sam recovered himself with a playful smirk. "You don't have to apologize about being gorgeous."

Gabriella blushed harder while trying to cover her face. "Um...thanks."

"No problem."

Murray examined everyone in their party outfits. "I think you all look ravishing!"

"Yeah!" E.B chirped in agreement as Max barked and wagged his tail. Mr. Jenkins warbled excitedly while Karlos just smiled at them.

"Well, you guys better be careful in there. Who knows what goes on in that castle," Karlos warned everyone.

Cat chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. It's just a party. What could go wrong?"

~.~

The cars rumbled across the stoned bridge while guards stood by and examined every passenger in the vehicle.

Murray was driving a Lamborghini with an opened top to expose Louis and Gluntz. Behind them was a truck driven by Grinch with the Lorax and Cat sitting in it, a horse-carriage which had McWinkle and Chad driving it with Guy, Michellee, Sam, and Gabriella inside of it, and a black sleek car that was driven by Goat with Jean perching on his shoulder and Michael and Vicky sitting at the back.

E.B, Mr. Jenkins, Max, and Karlos watched intensely from outside of the castle.

"This is too risky," Karlos uttered while swimming back and forth in his fishbowl.

Max whimpered while lowering his body and wagged his tail slowly. Mr. Jenkins comforted Max by nuzzling his brown fur with his beak.

"They'll make it out," E.B responded to Karlos, staying positive in her tone. "I know they will. And if they're in trouble, we could rescue them."

"Oh, like a little girl, a fish, a dog, and a chickeraffe are going to stand a chance against hundreds of cultists," Karlos implied sarcastically, earning a withering glare from E.B. Karlos winced back when he noticed the glare but then cleared his throat. "I mean, do you even know how to fight?"

E.B pondered about it. "No...but I want to learn how to. I mean, I don't want to be kidnapped again and who knows who will be there to rescue me. I'm lucky in the last couple of times because the first time, my family found me, and then the second time, I found Goat, Michael, Jean, Mr. Jenkins, and Vicky in the same building. I want to at least know how to defend myself so that I won't get snatched up as I did in the last couple of times."

Mr. Jenkins warbled sympathetically as he licked her face, causing her to stifle a giggle.

Karlos gazed at the castle. "Well, let's hope it doesn't come down to us saving them."

Meanwhile, Murray pulled up to the security guard, who asked him for his driver's license.

"Спасибо дорогой сэр. The whispers have reunited us all for this joyous event. Almost like the son of the great Radenburg was born into this world, I hope for many blessings upon your head," Murray answered in a Russian accent.

"Your head must be empty. He wants to see your driver's license, you imbecile," Louis indicated with a German accent while hiding his face with his black top hat.

Gluntz had her face hidden behind her pink fan while trying to contain her laughter at Louis's cute German accent.

"I must apologize!" Murray sputtered profusely while searching his pockets. "I must apologize for a thousand times, my dear master. I made the most horrible mistake in the history of the cult, a terrible mistake. I forgot my driver's license at home--"

"Vat?" Louis interrupted with his German accent again, almost making Gluntz burst out laughing but she was able to hold it in. "Are you saying that we drove all zhe way across the world only for you to forget your driver's license?!"

"Oh, I'm such a worthless bug, a worthless, worthless bug," Murray criticized himself in a Russian accent while pounding his forehead on the wheel gently.

Louis pulled out both his and Gluntz's invitations for the guard to see. The guard nodded his head as he gestured Murray to move forward.

Murray sighed in relief. "Thank you, dear sir. I'll always remember you."

Murray continued to drive forward as they passed through the entrance of the castle. Gluntz lowered her fan to show tears from holding in her laughter for too long, which Louis noticed.

"Your accent is so adorable," Gluntz whispered to Louis, earning a chuckle from him.

Meanwhile, Grinch drove up to the guard by the entrance while showing off his license with his fake identity and a photo of him.

"Detective Grinchlock Holmes and this is Dr. Whatson," Grinch introduced both him and the Lorax.

The Lorax tipped his hat to the guard.

The guard noticed Cat in the back, licking his teeth. "Who's that?"

Cat switched his gaze to the guard while rolling down his window and extended his hand to shake the guard's hand. "Bruce Ventura! Famous Singer and well-known director!"

"Yes, he's a director of that one trashy movie...oh, what is it call? Cuties? Is that it?" Grinch tried to recall.

Cat squinted at Grinch. "You must have gotten me confused with someone else. However, I've seen it and let me tell you...it did not end well for Netflix. Netflix better revives themselves before they lose the market."

Grinch rolled his eyes at Cat. "Yes, he's famous. Let's just say that."

"Oh, what a lovely surprise that a famous singer and director is coming to the party. Would you do the honors in singing holy songs? Praising the whispers?" The guard requested with a genuine smile.

"I got a holy song in mind," Cat announced as he was about to initiate unholy screeching but his mouth was covered by the Grinch.

"Let him save his vocal cords for when he gets inside of the castle," Grinch replied sternly as the Lorax showed the guard their invitations.

The guard nodded. "Proceed."

Grinch drove onward towards the castle as McWinkle and Chad guided the horse-carriage up to the guard. Chad nervously sweats while constantly wiping them away with a handkerchief. McWinkle seemed calm as he handed the invitations to the guard for him to see.

"Driver's License?" The guard inquired of McWinkle.

McWinkle arched a brow. "Why would you need a license when you're driving a carriage?"

The guard nodded his head. "Good point. Carry on, then."

McWinkle slapped the reigns and the horses trotted through the entrance with Guy, Michellee, Sam, and Gabriella inside.

Goat breathed heavily as he approached the guard and showing him his driver's license.

"Good day," Goat uttered, while the guard nodded his head in response.

The guard stared at the license with befuddlement. "A. Goat?"

"Yes sir," Goat answered.

"Do you have a first name?"

"No."

"Then why are you labeled as A. Goat?"

"Because I'm a goat. Is there a problem?"

Vicky clenched her teeth as she faked a smile at the guard. "Excuse our driver, he has been driving all morning and he's already tired and grouchy. Can't you tell by the wrinkles under his eyes?"

Jean almost laughed as Goat flicked a glare at her.

"What's with the mouse on your shoulder?" The guard questioned Goat.

Goat groaned irritably. "His name is Marcus de Baguette. Any more questions?"

"I don't recall animals joining in this cult. Especially the foxes."

"Oh, I'm Miss Roxanne and this is my husband, Michelangelo Roxanne," Vicky introduced both her and her 'husband'.

At first, Michael looked at her confused but then realized what's going on. "Uh yeah...I'm an artist!"

Michael showed off his huge sharp teeth in his friendly smile.

Goat held out the invitations and the guard examined them.

"Alright, go on," The guard gestured as Goat continued to drive further behind their group.

~.~

They parked their cars and entered the castle. Inside of the castle was a grand hall full of people dressed in dark elegant clothes, drinking champagne, and buzzing conversations that were meaningless to listen to. The music was soft and elegant while a singer on stage sang the praises of the whispers.

"This is weirding me out," Chad whispered to the group while readjusting his glasses.

"Just keep a low profile. I think we should separate. It's best if we don't stick together unless we want those people to be suspicious of us," Louis uttered as he subconsciously grabbed Gluntz's hand and guided her through the crowds.

McWinkle nodded his head in agreement. "Louis is right. Chad, you're with me. Michael, Vicky, Jean, and Goat, you guys find the table to the left. Michellee, Guy, Sam, and Gabriella, find any spot in the middle. Cat, Grinch, and Lorax find a seat on the right."

"Or...we could just explore on our own and interact with each other whenever we please," Cat suggested the alternative.

"Just don't bring suspicion here. Let's go," McWinkle determined as he and Chad strolled through the crowd. Cat journeyed off on his own while Grinch and Lorax stayed close together and explored the grand hall.

Guy's hand trembled violently until Michellee held it with both of her gentle hands. He gazed at her, receiving a soft concern smile from her.

Sam noticed a chocolate fountain with green eggs and ham sitting on the food court table. "Look, green eggs and ham!"

Gabriella noticed his childish excitement as he glanced at her fondly.

"Come on," Sam urged as he pulled Gabriella through the crowd. With a giggle, Gabriella followed Sam towards the food, leaving only Guy and Michellee by themselves.

Michellee noticed Guy's hand trembling slightly in her hold as she massaged it to calm her lover down. "Why don't we sit down somewhere?"

Guy smiled nervously. "Yeah, that sounds fine to me."

Michellee guided Guy through the crowd and took a seat at the empty table in the middle. They watched their friends touring around the castle, trying to not act suspiciously and they were doing good at it. It's sudden that a pink-furred woman with a huge hat and a snotty look on her face approached their table.

"Is this seat taken?" The woman asked the couple.

Both Guy and Michellee could've sworn that they recognized her from somewhere but they couldn't put their fingers on it.

"No, no, no one is sitting there," Michellee replied, etching a polite grin.

Guy nodded his head in agreement while wearing that same polite smile on his face. "Oh yeah, you can sit there."

The woman sat in the empty chair while staring at them with a furrowed brow. "Say, do I know you guys?"

Guy and Michellee gave each other quick brief glances and then moved their eyes back on the woman.

"I, uh, don't believe we met," Guy stuttered nervously, hoping the lady won't point at either him or his lover about being on the Wanted Posters.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Michellee added with a nod.

The woman groaned irritably. "It's hard to keep track of who Snerzy invites these days. What's to party about this time? His rare animal collection? Hehe, we all know that it didn't end well for him last time."

"Last time?"

"Why yes, he had stupidly exposed himself at the Snerzday Gala...the last of its kind anyway. Haha, what an idiot. Got himself arrested that night but now...he's teamed up with these Gatherers of the Whispers. I wonder if they'll raise him up to power the same way they did to Jeckles. Highly doubt it."

Michellee and Guy had their eyes broadened when they realized who they recognized that woman from. She's known as Lady Trumilla, one of Snerz's cronies, who seemed bored at the Snerzday Gala. They remembered her along with two other cronies and Snerz going backstage just to show-off the 'chickeraffe', which Sam substituted as a girooster.

"Oh...that Snerz guy seems like a crook," Guy indicated in his conversation.

Lady Trumilla arched a brow with a seductive smile. "We're all crooks here, sweetheart. We just won't admit it."

Michellee noticed the seductive look that she's giving Guy with a glare at the woman. "Well, aren't you afraid of getting in trouble by the police or bigger organizations?"

Lady Trumilla lost her seductive look at Guy and gave Michellee a deadpanned stare. "Look, darling, as long as the Influencer has control of the police and those big organizations, we'll be unstoppable."

"The Influencer?" Both Michellee and Guy uttered simultaneously with raised brows.

"Why yes."

"Who's the Influencer?" Michellee asked.

Lady Trumilla furrowed her brow. "You don't know who he is?"

Both Guy and Michellee shook their heads as Guy leaned in anxiously.

"The Influencer is whoever whispered to you. You know, there's a system behind the cult. Since you're new in this cult, mind as well teach you the ways. The Influencers were the ones behind the desks, telling you things that you want to hear. Things that you dream of doing, but you won't reach your dreams unless you do everything they say. Their names are anonymous. You can't know who's speaking to you."

"Then, how do you know that they're behind those desks?" Michellee inquired.

"And why is there only one?" Guy probed.

Lady Trumilla gave a seductive smirk to Guy again, which infuriated Michellee more internally. "There's only one because he's the only one Outside of the cult. Someone's gotta convert the Outsiders to this cult. And it looks like he's doing a good job so far."

Guy's head began pounding and his heart raced in his chest when he heard those words. He knew he had to get out of that spot before he could explode. "You know what, I-I'm going to, uh, get something to eat. I'll be right back."

Guy got out of his seat and quickly moved away from the spot, leaving Michellee alone with Lady Trumilla.

"What's with him?" Lady Trumilla asked Michellee with an arched brow.

"He gets claustrophobic when you're staring at him like that," Michellee responded with a growl. 

There's immediate silence.

~.~

Cat began to be bored as he listened to the lame music. He smirked in determination as he walked on stage and stole the mic from the man singing.

"Is everyone getting tired of these songs yet?" Cat's voice boomed into the mic as his friends had their eyes widened.

Lorax shook his head in discouragement. "What is he up to now?"

Cat smiled deviously. "Why don't we find a song that will get us dancing to our feet? I got just the one and believe me, it's one of my favorites!" Cat messed with the radio as it played a rock song. He nodded his head to the beat.

Then, he began to sing.

_"_ _You'll never make me stay,_

_So, take your hands off of me._

_I know your every trick._

_So won't you let me be._

_I've seen enough times before_

_But here I am in front of you._

_You lure every man_

_Until they bleed out._

_She says that's okay_

_Hey, boy, do what you want._

_I have the gifts that you want._

_I am the cure you desire._

_She looked me in the eyes._

_She picked up the knife._

_She says there's no middle ground._

_She trapped me in her twisted world._

_Bloody Diana, no...(3X)_

_Bloody Diana_

_Leave me be!_

_She liked the little boys when they gazed at her in fear._

_Every little thing she could pick up on them,_

_She waited for the father to choose between them._

_For any words that spilled from his lips._

_Anything that could trigger a killing spree._

_She says that's okay._

_Hey, boy, do what you want._

_I'll be your everything you need me to be._

_I'll be the judge that will punish you for your sins._

_And I don't care what you'll say._

_Because who'll listen anyway?_

_I'll be on your side._

_If you have the guts to choose your favorites._

_Bloody Diana, no(3x)_

_Bloody Diana!_

_Bloody Diana, no(3x)_

_Bloody Diana!_

_Diana!_

_Diana!_

_Bloody Diana!_

_It's Diana, yeah, yeah!"_

When the song ended, it left everyone in complete and utter silence.

"Tough crowd, tough crowd," Cat replied with a sigh and walked offstage, dropping the mic.

Lorax glared at Cat as he approached both him and the Grinch. "What was that?"

"It's called singing a song that doesn't require worshiping non-existent whispers," Cat responded with a cheesy grin.

"Who in the heck is Diana?" Grinch pondered with an arched brow.

"Use your brain, Grinchlock," Cat responded with a giggle. "Is it just me or is this party getting boring?"

"This is an elegant party, we're supposed to blend in, not stand out," Lorax explained in a hushed tone to Cat.

Immediately, there were three people approaching them. One of them was old and blue-furred who had white hair sticking out the sides of his head. The other one was also old with gray fur and sitting in a wheelchair. Then, the third one was female with hot pink fur and had a red rubber dress with a small circle sign that said: _"Thing One"_. When Cat noticed the woman, his eyes went wide as if every memory of torture and agony that had been done to his sons just flooded right back in his mind.

"You sang quite well, Mr.--"

"Ventura." Cat was able to squeeze out his words while biting his tongue to make it bleed. "Bruce Ventura...famous singer and director."

"Wow, I never knew that we got another celebrity in the castle," The woman replied with a laugh. "You know, Blood is the best color to wear. Just represents power and might."

Cat twitched his eyes, trying not to glare at her but he couldn't even help it.

"You know, other colors are also lovely to wear," Grinch uttered, noticing Cat lost in his contained anger.

"Miss...where-where did you get that dress?" Cat replied, having the urge to break down and fight her.

"Oh, it was a jumpsuit belonging to those, ugh, things...after they were murdered, the cultists took their clothes off and made it into a dress to show our victory over the Outsiders' offsprings. There's another dress for the other thing but this one was the best to wear," The lady bragged, unknowingly making it hard for Cat to hold in his anger.

Cat clenched his teeth while invisible tears edged out of his eyes. "Alrighty then."

Cat threw a punch at the old man standing next to her. Then, he lifted him up over his shoulder like he's wearing the old man as a scarf with a devious smile.

"You know, you're right. This really does feel victorious," Cat snarled with a wink at the woman and began to sang in a low note. He strutted through the grand hallway while dancing and holding the man over his shoulders. It drew some attention from a few people nearby him. Grinch and Lorax had their eyes widened in shock while Cat held out the last of his low note as he dipped the passed out old man and then tossed him aside. "Ah! That felt good!"

Cat's words were in bitter anger but he hid that with a devilish smile as he stormed towards the men's bathroom.

Cat shut the door quickly before losing his mischievous facade. He paced around the bathroom until his back hit against the tiled wall. He took off of his hat and clutched it tightly and sunk down while breathing heavily, his tears finally unleashed. He began to sob while holding his legs to his chest and buried his head in them. He twitched his ears up when he heard the door prompted open. He quickly lifted his head up to notice Grinch entering the bathroom.

Cat wiped the tears away, trying to fake a smile but that didn't fool the Grinch. Cat tried to put his hat back on but the Grinch stopped him from putting on his hat, kneeling down on the tile floor.

"What happened back there?" Grinch asked as he gave him a stern gaze.

Cat shook his head. "It's--It's nothing."

Grinch softened his gaze at Cat, who's sniffling. "I don't believe you."

There's a pause as the Grinch sighed.

"Look, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But...you can't just lash out whenever you want to."

"I-I can't help it."

"What do you mean?"

Cat frowned while tears gushed out more. "My sons...those were the things that the lady was talking about. My things...my precious things."

Cat began to weep as Grinch took his hat away and sat next to him. Cat covered his face with his white-gloved hands. Grinch wasn't normally a hugger so, he just patted Cat's shoulder.

"There, there. Let it out," Grinch replied, encouraging Cat to cry more. "You know, I've read somewhere that crying helps relieve some of the stress. You don't need to bottle it up so much."

Cat continued to cry more, not listening to Grinch's points.

Grinch nodded his head in understanding. "Alright, no time for lecturing."

Cat sobbed, sniffling. Grinch stood up and grabbed the paper towels from a dispenser nearby. He sat back down and offered the paper towels to Cat. Cat noticed this and received the towels, blowing his nose and wiping away tears that were stained on his furry cheeks.

"Are you feeling better?" Grinch asked softly, patting Cat's shoulder blade.

Cat nodded his head slightly while trying to edge a tearful smile. "Yeah...sorry."

"You got nothing to apologize for."

"I meant for what happened back there. Now thinking about it...it's kind of stupid."

Grinch nodded his head in agreement. "Well, yeah, but I don't blame you. It's hard to contain those kinds of emotions in these types of situations. Just wasn't the right time to let it out."

"Is anyone suspicious of us?"

"Luckily, no one is as far as I'm concern," Grinch indicated with a soft grin.

Cat smiled genuinely at the Grinch. "Thank you, Grinch."

"For what? I didn't do anything--"

"For being there for me and listening to me. Thank you." Cat hugged Grinch, rubbing his head against his chest.

Grinch had his eyes widened in shock, not fully expecting a hug from anyone with an embarrassed blush. He patted on Cat's head lightly. "Um...it's not a problem."

Cat didn't let go of the Grinch, which concerned him for a moment. Cat snuggled him with a purr.

"Okay, you don't have to purr," Grinch pointed out.

"I'm just happy to have a friend like you," Cat replied while purring.

Grinch rolled his eyes with a gruff. "Well, don't get used to it."

"Don't worry, I'll cherish this forever."

Grinch waited for a moment for Cat to break away from him but he didn't let go. Grinch slowly wrapped his arms around Cat and hugged him back awkwardly. But that awkwardness faded when he began to relax.

~.~

Sam and Gabriella just saw Cat's outbreak with gaped mouths as they minded their own business.

"What just happened?" Sam asked with a whisper.

Gabriella noticed a dress that woman was wearing with a pin that said: _"Thing One"_.

She gasped in shock. "Thing One?"

Sam noticed this too with a short intake of breath. "Oh gosh."

Gabriella tried to hold in the tears, remembering her brothers like it was yesterday that she lost them. Sam watched her almost ready to cry. He had to find some way to get her mind off of those memories before she burst into tears. Sam noticed that the singer who was singing the holy praises of the whispers left the stage. The little who smirked and messed with the turntables next to the musicians to turn on the soft music. Everyone seemed a bit surprise as Sam approached Gabriella with his hand extended out for her to grab.

"May I have this dance?" Sam asked kindly as Gabriella looked deep into his soft eyes.

She smiled and nodded. She grabbed his hand and he lifted her up from her seat. Sam guided Gabriella to the dance floor as they faced each other. She put her hand on his shoulder while he had his arm around her waist. They began to slow dance into the song

_I'll never settle down._

_That's what I always thought_

_Yeah, I was that kind of man._

_Just ask anyone._

_I don't dance, but here I am._

_Spinning you around and around in circles._

Sam smiled at her while he twirled her around and around. She couldn't stop staring into his eyes as they went back to dancing together.

_It ain't my style, but I don't care._

_I'd do anything with you anywhere_

_Yes, you got me in the palm of your hand._

_'Cause, I don't dance._

Louis and Gluntz watched Sam and Gabriella dancing. Gluntz seemed excited as she glanced at Louis and took his hand.

"What are you doing?" Louis asked while she pulled him into the dance floor.

"Dance with me," Gluntz chirped with a cute smile on her face.

Louis began to sweat nervously. "I d-don't know how to dance."

"Don't worry, I'll teach you," Gluntz said excitedly as she had her arms around his neck while he had his arms around her waist. They both began to side-step into the music.

_Love's never come my way,_

_I've never been this far_

_'Cause you took these two left feet_

_And waltzed away with my heart_

Louis watched their toes to make sure that he won't step on her foot. However, Gluntz was staring at Louis's careful figure. She stroked his head slightly to get his attention. It worked since he's able to make eye-contact.

"This is much easier than what I've seen," Louis informed with a soft chuckle.

Gluntz giggled. "Yeah. That's how my parents taught me how to dance."

_I don't dance, but here I am._

_Spinning you around and around in circles._

_It ain't my style, but I don't care._

_I'd do anything with you anywhere_

_Yes, you got me in the palm of your hand, girl._

_'Cause, I don't dance._

Vicky and Michael exchanged glances at each other.

"Wanna dance, Michael?" Vicky offered while standing from her seat.

"Sure," Michael replied nervously as they both went into the dance floor, leaving Goat and Jean behind.

_No, I don't dance._

Jean noticed Goat watching the dance floor now crowded by other people besides their friends, his lips trembling.

"Are you okay?" Jean asked Goat.

"...Yeah, I'm fine," Goat uttered as he watched Michael and Vicky danced with each other.

_I don't dance, but here I am_

_Spinning you around and around in circles_

_It ain't my style, but I don't care_

_Well I'd do anything with you anywhere_

Goat and Jean witnessed Vicky whispering in Michael's ear that made him giggle and laugh. She giggled and laughed along with him.

_I don't dance, but here I am._

_Spinning you around and around in circles._

_It ain't my style, but I don't care._

With that, Goat smiled at them to see them laughing with one another. He just hoped that she takes good care of him...that she makes him laugh and smile every day and comfort him in all of his bad days. To defend him whenever he gets bullied and to love and cherish him for all he is...even he doesn't see himself the way Goat and Vicky sees him.

_I'd do anything with you anywhere_

_Yes, you got me in the palm of your hand, girl._

_'Cause, I don't dance._

The song was almost ending as Vicky cupped her paw on Michael's cheek and pressed her lips softly against his. Of course, the fox didn't expect it but he welcomed it when he kissed her back. Goat bit his bottom lip to watch them kiss. The kiss didn't last long. They pulled themselves apart, both having shocked looks on their faces, which made Jean stifle a giggle.

Sam and Gabriella noticed the song ending but Gabriella wanted to hold on to Sam a little longer as she hugged him. Sam was confused by this gesture as they continued to dance.

"Thank you, Sam."

"For what?"

"For this dance. It was nice," Gabriella stated as she pulled away from him.

Sam gazed softly into her eyes and pulled a strand of her hair out of her face. "Of course. I would love to do it again."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Gabriella frowned. "Why? I mean...I'm not that pretty--"

"What are you talking about? You're beautiful."

Silence fell upon them as Gabriella had tears in her eyes.

"Really? I-I don't get it...I-I just...just...I thought that you would turn me away...okay, now I'm just--"

"Gabriella," Sam uttered while lifting her chin to have her look into his eyes. "You are beautiful just the way you are. Please...don't ever change it."

Gabriella blushed a little. "Thank you."

"No problem-"

Gabriella pecked a soft kiss on his cheek, shutting him up. She smiled at him and went back to her seat while Sam stood there, frozen. He rubbed the spot where she kissed him with a soft giggle.

Meanwhile, Louis and Gluntz stopped dancing while they gazed into each other's eyes softly. Louis frowned, his heart heavy as if he had got something to confess to Gluntz.

"Gluntz," Louis uttered her name, lips slightly parted.

Gluntz tilted her head. "Yes?"

"Th-There's something I got to tell you."

"Okay...? What is it?"

"I'm-I'm--"

"An assassin?" Gluntz guessed quietly with a smirk. "I already know that."

"I know that you know that but...I, um, had a contract."

Gluntz lost her smirk while her brow arched up. "A contract?"

"Yes."

"With who?"

"It doesn't matter...well, it kind of does because I had to kill somebody here tonight," Louis whispered to her.

"Who?" Gluntz asked softly.

When Louis was about to say who, Snerz came out to the dance floor and visiting the people attending the party. However, Snerz noticed Louis staring at him, his eyes suddenly widened in fear. Out of fear, Snerz bolted out of the room.

Louis knew he had to end the conversation. "I got to go."

"Where?" Gluntz probed desperately.

"Somewhere. Stay there," Louis commanded as he went out of the room, going after Snerz.

Gluntz was standing on the dance floor, all alone. She knew something was up with her partner and she couldn't resist the tempting idea to pursue after him. 

~.~

Guy wandered through the hallways alone aimlessly, catching his breath from his head pounding. No one was crowded in the hallways, which was good for him. That way he won't act like a maniac in front of the cultists. He leaned back against the wall on the stoned hallway, his head hurting so much. It's sudden that he heard whispers like it's right next to him. He turned his head to see the torn purple curtains next to him. Guy slowly parted open with his trembling hand and looked into the darkness that the curtain tried to hide. There, he saw rows of desks facing the wall with a few people whispering into mics. His eyes were widened as he arched a brow in curiosity. Was he hallucinating or was this real? Guy slowly stepped into the room and saw that they had their earbuds in. He gulped quietly and carefully ambled through the room. His heart was racing faster than he expected.

He blinked a couple of times but that's when he realized that what he's seeing was real. Guy noticed a door ahead of him as he strolled through it. It's a white room with white walls and floors. There's a machine in the center of the room with straps on them. It's a small room, which didn't seem like much to explore.

However, Guy noticed a table by the machine with chemicals and knives. They appeared like they were ready to go. With a huff, Guy turned around to head out. But, when he turned around, he hadn't expect a man with snowy fur standing right behind him, stabbing him with a syringe on his neck. Guy gasped and then blacked out immediately.

~.~

Michellee searched around the hall for Guy, concern for him when she discovered that he's not at the food place. She noticed Chad and McWinkle casually leaning against the walls as she quickly approached them.

McWinkle noticed her worried look. "What's going on?"

"Have you guys seen Guy?" Michellee asked urgently as McWinkle and Chad exchanged brief shocked glanced at each other. They turned their head to focus on Michellee.

"We have no idea. Did he go somewhere?" McWinkle probed.

"Yeah, he said he's going to get some food and he hadn't come back. Do you think--?"

"He went off by himself...again," McWinkle replied with a groan in discouragement. "Go find Sam and Gabriella. We'll take care of Guy."

"We?" Chad asked with his head tilted.

"Are you coming or what?" McWinkle offered as Chad smiled a bit.

"Yeah, sure thing!" Chad chirped in excitement as the men went off to find Guy.

Michellee walked through the crowd and found Gabriella and Sam talking to each other while laughing at each other's jokes.

Michellee took a seat with them, which stopped their jokes and caused them to lose their smiles.

"Is something wrong, Michellee?" Gabriella asked the woman with concern in her voice.

"McWinkle and Chad were going to look for Guy," Michellee informed them in a hushed tone.

"Did Guy just wander off?" Sam inquired quietly.

"He said he'll get some food but he hasn't come back."

There's a tensed silence among the chattering crowd.

"We should help McWinkle and Chad," Sam uttered with determination but Michellee stopped him.

"No, stay here. Let them take care of it," Michellee cautioned them.

Meanwhile, Vicky and Michael were slow dancing from the smooth jazz playing over the radio. Vicky gazed up into Michael's eyes.

"Um...what was that? That kiss? Was it something special?" Michael questioned awkwardly.

Vicky giggled. "I don't know. I like you. Maybe more than a friend."

"Oh...wow...um, I don't know what to say--"

"You don't have to say anything."

It got quiet as Michael sighed deeply.

"If I have to be honest, I never thought that there will be anyone out there who will love me for me."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well...because I'm a fox. I mean, I'm sure there are other reasons but that's the main reason. I mean, I don't want to replace your husband and your kids."

Vicky frowned and shook her head. "You won't. I've been alone for almost ten years and I'm not expecting to find someone out there. But I'm scared that I'll lose that special someone the same way I lost my family. Or even maybe scared to start a family with that special someone and then lose them all over again. I can't have that."

"That makes both of us."

Vicky suddenly noticed the man in a snowy white fur walking through the crowd behind Michael. 

"There he is," Vicky muttered as Michael was about to turn around but she stopped him. "Don't look behind you. Keep your eyes on me."

Michael stared straight into her eyes. "Who's he? The Biologist?"

"No, Magnus Stanley. He's coming through the crowd," Vicky informed in a hushed tone.

"Is he staring at us?"

"No."

"Good...what should we do?"

Vicky peeked over Michael's shoulder while Magnus caught a glimpse at them. She quickly glanced back into Michael's eyes.

"Do you mind if we kiss again?"

This question shocked Michael with his eyes widened. "Uh...I don't really mind. Is it for real or for some undercover reason?"

"Would you do it if I say it's both?"

Michael was puzzled by this. "I would...but...tell me when we're doing it."

Vicky noticed Magnus getting closer and closer to them. Without warning, she pressed her lips against the fox's more passionately this time. Michael wasn't expecting it at all, his eyes went wide in pure befuddlement. However, that confusion faded once he melted into the kiss.

Goat and Jean watched this while Goat gave both of them a deadpan stare.

"Okay, they don't have to keep kissing each other," Goat groaned irritably.

Jean rolled his eyes at his friend. "Oh, come on, let them enjoy each other's company. Or is this part of your jealousy?"

"Jean--"

"Come on, Atticus, whenever Vicky is around, you won't hesitate to insult her or make her look bad. You give her the cold shoulder for no apparent reason."

"I do have a reason."

"And what is that?"

Goat silenced himself as he subconsciously looked in the other direction. When he did look the other way, he suddenly noticed a familiar short figure with green three scoped mask with a sawblade on one hand and a sharp claw. Goat's facial expression changed from a deadpan stare to a shocked and confused glance at the figure.

Jean obviously didn't notice him. "See? You have no reason to be so hateful to her--"

"Jean--"

"On top of that, you only acted jealous when Vicky was hanging around Michael--"

"Jean!" Goat growled sternly, catching the mouse's attention.

"Oh, now you have a reason?"

"Look," Goat replied with a hushed tone while jerking his head to look over at the figure. Jean noticed the familiar dangerous figure creeping behind the curtains and in the darkness.

"Sacrebleu...the Biologist," Jean muttered underneath his breath.

The Biologist disappeared into the darkness as Goat stood up from his seat. Jean quickly climbed up on top of his head.

"What are you doing?" Jean whispered to Goat.

"Arresting the Biologist. We have to stop him once and for all before he takes anymore lives. Let's go."

"Okay...if I get sliced in half, I'm going to blame you."

"I'm fine with that. Come on."

Goat strutted through the crowd quickly before anyone noticed both him and Jean.

~.~

Snerz strode through the hallways and outside in the back of the castle. The snow blizzard blew viciously as Snerz was accompany by the yellow-furred man known as Yes Man.

"Get the chopper ready," Snerz demanded as Yes Man rushed ahead of him with a nod.

"Yes, Mr. Snerz," Yes Man replied as he ran towards the building with stone walls attached to the castle.

The guards approached Snerz as Snerz shivered in the cold.

"There's an assassin here! Make sure he--"

A flaming arrow flew by Snerz and pierced against the wall, catching his attention along with his guards. They looked through the blinding blizzard by the castle. There, they saw a familiar man wearing a white trenchcoat and his face covered with a hood that blended perfectly in the snow. He took out his flaming sword that scared Snerz to his core. Snerz bolted through the blizzard while ordering his guards to attack the assassin chasing him.

The buff guards got in a stance to fight the white hooded assassin as the assassin charged towards them. The guards were the first to make the punches but the assassin dodged them while elbowing one of them off of the cliff, causing the guard to scream. He slashed his fire sword across the other guard's stomach and blood gushed out of the open wound. The guard collapsed on the ground, bleeding out and burning up. Snerz opened the elevator door that revealed a humongous man with a flame thrower attached to him. Snerz quickly entered the elevator and jammed the button to close the door.

The white hooded assassin approached the cultist with a flamethrower and immediately took him down by slashing his can full of gasoline, which automatically set the cultist ablaze. The man screamed in agony as the assassin zoomed passed him. The explosion happened quickly behind the assassin but he wouldn't let Snerz out of his deadly sight. The doors of the elevator shut quickly and lifted the nervous businessman up towards the top of the castle wall.

Snerz was breathing heavily as he was taken up towards the top of the wall. But the stone wall attatched to the castle didn't stop the assassin from taking out a grapple gun and shot the grapple onto the top of the wall. He pulled himself up by pulling the trigger as he was lifted up quickly towards the top of the wall. However, Snerz reached on top first and noticed the assassin coming up the wall. The businessman had an idea to unhook the grapple and let the assassin fall but the assassin took out his pistol before that idea was carried out.

More guards came out from both sides of the wall as Snerz ran towards the helicopter Yes Man already prepared on the top of the tower on the side. The assassin climbed up to the wall as the guards approached him and blocked his way to get to Snerz.

While the white hooded assassin was fighting the other guards, Gluntz, who changed out of her fancy red silk dress, exited out of the castle with her dark blue cap, gloves, and jacket in tact. She noticed the two dead bodies as she looked up to see someone fighting with a bunch of guards. Immediately, she saw the helicopter ready for take off at the tower. Gluntz got out her grapple gun that she smuggled underneath her dress and shot the grapple towards the ledge of the tower. She swung herself across the huge gap and pulled herself up towards the tower with the helicopter on top. She finally made it to the top but Snerz already hopped into the helicopter.

"Go up! Go up!" Snerz demanded loudly.

"Yes, Mr. Snerz!" Yes Man shouted as he began to ascend from the ground. However, Gluntz jumped on the railing of the helicopter, causing it to shake a little. Snerz and Yes Man noticed the tiny shake as Gluntz tied a rope around her other grapple gun and shot the grapple onto the edge. She tightened it to hold the helicopter in place during the blizzard. She swung herself up until Snerz saw her and kicked her in the stomach, almost pushing her off completely. She slipped and grabbed the railing as Snerz grabbed control of the helicopter and turned it so that the rotor could chop Gluntz up unexpectedly but she quickly moved out of the way. The rotor crashed onto the top of the with parts of the helicopter flying everywhere. Gluntz hanged on tightly while the helicopter was edging towards the cliff.

The white hooded man noticed this while finishing off the last of the guards with one last punch in the face. He quickly ran towards the tower, unaware that Gluntz was there at the scene. The helicopter tipped over the edge as Gluntz climbed to the opened side to see if Snerz and Yes Man were still in there. Yes Man was hanging on for dear life, fear twinkling in his eyes.

Gluntz climbed in and lend out her hand to Yes Man. "Here let me help you--"

Snerz punched her in the cheek, causing her to fall back on the controls of the helicopter. He wrapped his hands around her throat, strangling her until the helicopter began to fall over to the edge. Gluntz grabbed Snerz quickly while Yes Man grabbed his ankle and she leaped towards the ledge before the helicopter could take all three of them down with it.

Gluntz was hanging onto the ledge while Snerz and Yes Man were fearing for their lives. She swung them onto the ledge for them to get to the other side while trying to climb up. Before she could climb up, Snerz stomped on her fingers, causing her to yelp in pain. Yes Man stood there cowardly while Snerz edged out a smirk.

"Wow, how dumb can you be, Gluntz? Helping a former criminal--"

"A fugitive," Gluntz corrected as he pressured her fingers more. Gluntz tried to slap his foot away from her fingers with her free hand but it didn't work. Her fur was freezing but she didn't let that factor bother.

"I'm no criminal. I was framed!" Snerz yelled while gnashing his teeth.

"Framed by who? The government?"

"You shut it! You know, it's such a shame that the most famous agent from the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S die by some tragic fall. Oh, what the headlines would say?"

"I don't care about the headlines!"

"Oh, you will once you're mentioned." He stepped on her fingers more, causing her to slowly lose her grip on the ledge.

Gluntz grunted while trying to hold on. "You're never going to get away with this, Snerz."

Snerz snickered at Gluntz's determination. "Oh, but I already have. You know, if you ever get to the other side, tell Louis's mother I say hi."

Gluntz widened her eyes in shock to be confused on how he knew about the tragedy that had befallen the McWinkle family. However, that question was out of her mind when a gunshot was heard and a bullet crashed onto the side of Snerz's skull. Yes Man gasped while having his eyes widened and staring at the somebody standing nearby. Gluntz and Snerz followed his gaze to notice the white hooded assassin with his pistol out.

"Why don't you tell her yourself?" The hooded man snarled as Snerz backed off of Gluntz. He fell over to the side and laid there on the cold stoned ground, bleeding out. Yes Man had his mouth covered while running away from the scene.

Gluntz was about to slip and fall before the hooded man grabbed her wrist. Gluntz looked into those eyes, knowing that she recognized them. He pulled her up to the tower as they both gazed into each other's eyes. Her dark gloved hands caressed on the hood, slowly unraveling it to see who it was even though she already knew deep down. It's Louis McWinkle with his soft eyes and tender smile that she always adored.

Gluntz laughed a little. "You-You saved me."

Louis blushed a bit. "Uh, well, it's-it's not that big of a deal. I mean, I save people all the time and I--"

Gluntz pressed her lips against his with passion suddenly. His eyes went comically wide. Before he could melt into the kiss, she pulled away from him. He softly touched his lips with his fingers and felt his cheeks heating up.

Gluntz giggled nervously. "Uh...I don't know what I was thinking. You know, how people could do things without thinking--"

Louis caressed her face, shutting her up. "I do know. But you were thinking when you did it, weren't you?"

Gluntz began to blush madly. "Hehe...well, I, um, I--"

Louis softly kissed her lips as she kissed him back. They both melted into the kiss as it became more passionate.

_**Oh man, I'm going to cry! *sniffs* Aren't they so cute together? I've been shipping them since day one. *sniffs* This is so touching.** _

_***Uh...don't you remember the other characters that were in the castle?*** _

_**Who said that?!** _

_***This is me, the writer, speaking. Can you narrate on gripping scenes instead of soft ones?*** _

_**Well, excuse me, Ms. Writer, but I'm the narrator and I get to point out the important factors of the story.** _

_***Including Gluntz and Louis kissing?*** _

_**Hey, people have been waiting for this ship to become canon since you first wrote them in!** _

_***sighs*** _

_**Let's get back to the others shall we?** _

~.~

Grinch and Cat came out of the bathroom and noticed Lorax waiting outside for them.

"Is everything okay in there?" Lorax asked in concern as Grinch nodded his head.

"Yeah, we got the emotional stuff out of the way," Grinch answered.

Cat smirked while looking at the Lorax. "I never knew that the Grinch is quite the hugger."

Grinch blushed in embarrassment. "W-What are you talking about?"

Lorax chuckled at his friends. "Well, I'm glad you guys are okay."

The three of them took a look around the room to notice a few people missing from their group.

"Uh...where did everyone go?" Grinch whispered to Lorax.

Lorax shrugged his shoulders. "Chad and McWinkle went off somewhere...um, Louis and Gluntz took off and Goat and Jean were gone...wait...Guy! Guy's not here."

"Oh boy, don't tell me he just wandered off like he always does," Grinch mumbled underneath his breath.

Cat shrugged. "Maybe he went to the bathroom."

"We just came from the bathroom," Grinch pointed out. "As far as I know, he's not in there with us."

"Yeah, I didn't see Guy coming into the bathroom either," Lorax added the information. "Which makes me think...we oughta search for our friends together."

Cat noticed the man with snowy fur walking by Michael and Vicky, who were trying to keep their heads down after they kissed. With this observation, the cat immediately widened his eyes.

"Uh...guys. I think we got a problem." Cat caught the Lorax's and the Grinch's attention as they noticed a man with white fur walking through the crowd.

Grinch arched his brow. "Who's that?"

"Magnus Stanley," Cat whispered to his friends.

"Oh no," Grinch muttered underneath his breath. "What should we do?"

Lorax pondered for a moment. "Well...we should find the rest of the group and stay with them until we knew for sure on what to do next."

"That sounds like a good idea," Grinch admitted while looking around the grand hall full of people.

"Agreed," Cat responded while nodding his head in agreement.

~.~

Guy felt like he's floating in the air, his eyes closed. He fluttered them open when he realized that he woke up in a dark place. He had no idea where he was or how he ended up here but he wished he knew.

_Guy..._

There's that ominous voice calling out to him again. He tried to touch the ground with his feet but he couldn't. He wasn't held by any strings or cables. He's just floating in the air. His heart raced when he tried to figure where that voice was coming from.

"Who are you?" Guy muttered underneath his breath, fear building up in his eyes.

_Rejoice!!_

The sound of that word was loud, louder than the drums pounding in his head in the background. Guy covered his ears and closed his eyes, lips pulled back into a growl to drown out the sound but all it did was making it louder.

_Don't you love fire, Guy?_

_What makes you think I'm afraid of danger?_

_You're putting us in danger!_

_I don't care about your social life!_

_Why do you have so many aliases?_

_Because nobody's---nobody's ever wanted me to stay the same. Nobody's ever stuck around this long._

_Well, there's a reason nobody's ever stuck this long, Sam! Believe me, I know! Because I've tried!_

"Shut up!!!" Guy cried while covering his head.

_I've tried you as a friend and you don't fit! You don't fit anybody, not even your own mother!_

"Shut up! Shut up!" Guy shouted with angry tears edging out of his eyelids.

_Who's going to save you?_

_Who's going to save you?_

_Who's going to save you from yourself?_

Guy screamed as bubbles suddenly formed out of his mouth. His eyes went wide as he felt hands gripping around his arms. He was suddenly pulled out of the water, gasping for air while his vision was nothing but a blur. All he knew that he's seeing white as he was pulled out of the wooden crate full of water. He heard voices but they were all unfamiliar. They don't sound like any of his friends at all. He was forced to walk into the white abyss, with hands gripping him tightly. He tried to resist them but it was no use.

"Let me go!" Guy screamed as he was shoved down on the metal table, strapping him down so that he wouldn't get up. "What are you doing?! Who are you people?!"

Something sharp poked through his neck with the shivering liquid injected inside of him. At first, he didn't feel anything until he felt something burning in his veins. His vision was cleared slightly but the faces and the place was blurry.

Now, the voices were more understandable.

"Flip the switch!" someone commanded as Guy had no idea what's going on in his mind.

However, he soon realized what's going on a little too late. Electricity zapped through his body, causing him to groan. His body convulsed from being electrocuted while Guy screwed his eyes shut tightly, tears slipping out of his tight closed eyes. He clenched his teeth as he was given abstract images played like a slideshow which seemed odd enough for anyone to think about.

There was fire and nothing but fire. There's rubble and a destroyed city that he couldn't simply recognize. Then, there's something in the dark--something with red eyes and red dark fur. It's some sort of a beast but it looked too familiar. Actually it looked recognizable...why does it look like him?

Suddenly, Guy snapped his eyes open as soon as the torture ended. He breathed ragged as if he's been suffocated.

"He's good to go. Send him to where he needs to go," a voice spoke out of nowhere. Before he could understand what's happening, a needle poked through his neck, causing him to be drowsy and passed out.

~.~

Goat followed the Biologist discreetly with Jean perched on top of his head. The Biologist roamed through the dark hallways as he finally reached the room where it's empty and hollow. Goat shimmied against the wall and peeked over with Jean staring intensely at the Biologist. The Biologist was muttering something underneath his breath but they were incoherent and glitchy.

"How are we going to take him down?" Jean whispered to Goat as Goat narrowed his gaze at the Biologist.

Goat pulled out his pistol that he had hidden in his suit and cocked it back quietly to ready to use. "Follow my lead."

Jean rolled his eyes at his friend. "Okay, if I get sliced in half, I will blame you."

Goat nodded his head in understanding as he stepped into the room and aimed the pistol. "Turn around."

Biologist stopped his muttering and froze in position.

"That's right. We caught you. Now, turn around," Goat demanded as Jean furrowed his brow at the goat.

"You know, he's going to saw you in half if you keep doing that--"

"Jean."

"Fine. Do it your way."

Goat glared at the Biologist. "Turn around. I won't ask again."

The Biologist slowly turned around, his smaller body quaking with fear. Goat dropped his glare when he heard the Biologist sniffling from behind the mask. His face wasn't the only one that softened. Jean arched a brow while looking at the Biologist sympathetically.

"Is--is h̶͕̑̓͗͘e̸̛̛͖̾́̅̈́ still alive?" The Biologist uttered, his knees shaking.

"Who are you talking about, amigo?" Goat interrogated, still keeping that gun up.

Before the Biologist could answer, both Goat and Jean heard guns cocking behind them.

"You're not who you animals say you are, aren't you?" an unfamiliar voice spoke up behind them with a snarl. "Put your hands up and turn around...slowly."

Goat peeked over his shoulders to notice that there were other men surrounding him and Jean. He knew it's useless to fight back so he had his hooves up and turned around slowly. Jean had his paws raised too as they faced the man who was interrogating them.

"Now, drop the weapon and kick it away," The priest growled as Goat furrowed his brow.

Goat dropped his gun and kicked it away slightly.

"Farther," the priest commanded in a snarl. Goat grumbled and kicked it farther away from him. "Alright. Now--"

"AAAAHHHH!!!" Both Jean and Goat heard a familiar screaming as Michael tackled the priest in front of Goat and Jean from the hallway. Both of the animals had their eyes enlarged when Michael tackled the priest. Vicky swoop in and grabbed a pistol from the other man. Goat ducked and picked up his gun when Vicky started to fire at the other men on the opposite side of her. The Biologist covered his ears and began to howl in pain. Before anyone could understand what's going on, the Biologist lashed out by sawing someone next to him in half, their guts and organs spewing out.

The Biologist zoomed out of the room and ran through the hallway, slashing incoming people who no one knew.

Michael peeked into the room to notice the men laying dead while Goat, Jean, and Vicky stood there with their breaths quickening.

"What's up with the Biologist?" Michael uttered as Goat groaned to himself.

"Son of a yip!" Goat growled as he was about to go after him until Michael stopped him.

"Man, what are you thinking?" Michael inquired with an arched brow.

"What do you mean?" Goat asked with an unintentional growl.

"You and Jean could've got sliced in half by the Biologist," Michael pointed out.

"What else are we going to do while you and Vicky were making out?" Goat argued with a snarl.

Jean sealed his lips, lowering his head to stay out of the argument. He quickly scurried up to Vicky's shoulder.

"I love her, Atticus," Michael uttered softly as Goat lost his glare at the fox. "She accepted me as me. More than just a friend."

Goat had that hurt look on his face. He chewed his bottom lip and had his brows slightly furrowed. "She wasn't the only person who accepted you as more than a friend."

Goat walked past Michael as he stormed out of the room before anyone could see through him.

Michael arched a brow while glancing at Vicky and Jean. "Did I say something wrong?"

Vicky shrugged her shoulders as Jean bit his lip and hummed a certain song.

Unbeknownst to them, Goat bit his bottom lip to hold in as much anger and all those other emotions as possible while he strode through the hallways. He could've sworn that there was so much to hold in that he could've just punch through the walls with powerful punches to let it out. Goat sighed deeply to calm himself as he finally realized something. Maybe...well, he doesn't know anymore. At this point, all he wanted to do was arrest the Biologist and get their job done. He won't let his broken friendship with Michael interfere with that. Well...maybe he would if his heart was this mushy.

He learned for a long time to harden his heart, to not let anybody break his heart. But...now he knew why he learned that. He made that stupid mistake over and over again. He thought he trust someone but it ended up broken. However, with Michael...it wasn't as bad as the others were. Michael had a girlfriend now and that's no reason that he should be upset, right? Then, why did he get super jealous easily whenever Michael was hanging around Vicky? Maybe there was something off with Vicky but Vicky had a soft spot for Michael. Who was he kidding...he couldn't even understand himself sometimes. Maybe it's because he never cared about anyone this deep in such a long time that the idea of losing him to anything, even if it's with someone else, seemed harder than what it would normally be. 

~.~

McWinkle and Chad searched throughout the castle for Guy but they couldn't find him anywhere.

"Where could he be?" Chad asked McWinkle who just shrugged.

"I don't know...come on," McWinkle urged as they searched through the hallways. As they reached towards the corridors, McWinkle noticed from his right side of a familiar orange-furred Knox laying on the bed while being accompanied by two of the cultists. McWinkle blinked twice before realizing what he was seeing.

"Hey!" McWinkle shouted as he bolted after them. There's a garage door that was opened for the men to carry Guy into it as McWinkle chased after them. The garage door quickly closed behind them as McWinkle slammed his shoulder into it. He pounded on the door with anger and gnashing teeth.

Chad was following him with wide eyes. "What happened?!"

"Those sons of yips took Guy! We have to inform the others--!"

Before McWinkle finished his sentence, a claw plunged through Chad's chest unexpectedly, holding out his faintly beating heart in front of the blue-furred man while Chad stood there with wobbling legs and a shocked gasp.

McWinkle had his eyes bulged out as the claw ripped back through the purple-furred nerd. Chad collapsed and immediately hit the ground, his body lifeless without his beating heart. Then, the blue-furred man looked in horror at a short man with a green scoped mask with red lighting on the inner circles of the scopes standing behind Chad's dead body. His lab coat was bloody and his sawblade shimmered in the dark. His claw was clutching onto what used to be Chad's beating heart. But the heart was no longer beating and the veins of it became dry. McWinkle was speechless to what's going on. Normally, he would just dodge out of the way and run for his life but for some reason, with a horrified look, he just stood there and stared at the masked killer.

Almost in an instant, the red lighting in the center of his three scopes disappeared and his claw was loosened on the heart to the point where he just dropped it. The short man gazed up at him, his back lurched forward slightly.

"Fort...Fort...Fort," McWinkle heard the man muttering while his body was shaking. His head was lowered to look at Chad's dead body sprawled between them. McWinkle could've sworn that he heard the killer sobbing behind his mask. "I-I d̵̠͊i̸̞̚ḑ̶͐͒n̸̜̑ͅ'̷̡̈̃t̵̞̍ mean to kill your friend."

McWinkle raised his brow. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

"I-I don't remember anymore...I-I can't remember for the life of me...Fort Dunstan."

"Fort Dunstan? What are you talking about?"

"That's the place that I remembered and I also remembered something else. T̶̮̃͝h̴̳̅ḙ̷͌̉y̵̲ tried to make me forget about him...they tried so hard...but I could never forget his face."

"Who are you talking about?" McWinkle softly asked, inching closer to the scared killer.

"They tried to make me forget about my child," the killer uttered, his voice shaky.

"Your child?" McWinkle muttered as Goat stepped closer to the scared killer. "What's your child's name?"

"F̴͓̌o̶͎͖̾r̷̖̟̎t̶͚̬̊ ̶̱͗͊ͅD̵͎̊̔u̸͈͌͝ń̷͉̚s̸̛͎t̴̨͗͐ǎ̴̲̗̔n̵̯̭̏...F̴͓̌o̶͎͖̾r̷̖̟̎t̶͚̬̊ ̶̱͗͊ͅD̵͎̊̔u̸͈͌͝ń̷͉̚s̸̛͎t̴̨͗͐ǎ̴̲̗̔n̵̯̭̏...F̴͓̌o̶͎͖̾r̷̖̟̎t̶͚̬̊ ̶̱͗͊ͅD̵͎̊̔u̸͈͌͝ń̷͉̚s̸̛͎t̴̨͗͐ǎ̴̲̗̔n̵̯̭̏...F̴͓̌o̶͎͖̾r̷̖̟̎t̶͚̬̊ ̶̱͗͊ͅD̵͎̊̔u̸͈͌͝ń̷͉̚s̸̛͎t̴̨͗͐ǎ̴̲̗̔n̵̯̭̏..F̴͓̌o̶͎͖̾r̷̖̟̎t̶͚̬̊ ̶̱͗͊ͅD̵͎̊̔u̸͈͌͝ń̷͉̚s̸̛͎t̴̨͗͐ǎ̴̲̗̔n̵̯̭̏." the scared man broke down as his head began to twitch, his killer mode switching on and off while his voice became even more glitchier than the last time.

McWinkle had his eyes widened in pure fear while realizing that the killer will snap at any moment. He bolted passed the killer, unknowingly running towards Goat.

"Amigo, did you--?"

McWinkle immediately picked Goat up as the scared killer chased after them, scratching the walls in attempts to cut them but they missed.

They soon saw Michael, Vicky, and Jean coming down the same way.

"Run! Run!" McWinkle screamed as Michael grabbed Vicky by the elbow to turn her around and sprinted away from the situation with Jean holding onto the scruff of Vicky's neck.

They ran through the hallways while the killer in a bloody lab coat pursued them. The group reached a dead end and turned around to notice the killer with a sawblade on one hand and a claw on the other approaching them. Goat shoved McWinkle away from him to let him go and dropped onto the floor.

Both Goat and Vicky took out their pistols while McWinkle found a pipe and picked it up to use as a weapon.

"Who are you?" McWinnkle interrogated the killer.

"He's the Biologist," Michael responded with his fists clenched.

McWinkle glanced at the fox. "Seriously?"

"Don't ask me who came up with the name," Michael stated defensively as they heard the saw starting up. They shifted their attention back to the Biologist, glaring at them.

"Shoot him," McWinkle demanded out of Goat and Vicky.

"With pleasure, compadre," Goat uttered as he pulled the trigger to end this once and for all...only to find that the pistol he's holding was empty. Vicky pulled hers too but it's also empty.

McWinkle furrowed his brow at both of the goat and the vixen. "Did you guys seriously carry empty guns this whole time?"

The Biologist lunged towards them, about to slice through Goat first but Michael jumped in the way with a snarl. The sawblade cut through his arm, blood spewing out as if it's going to get sliced clean off until McWinkle bashed the killer in the with his pipe. The Biologist stumbled away from Michael, who had a deep cut in his arm but not deep enough to where it would hang off of his limbs.

The Biologist swiped his sawblade to cut through McWinkle's head but the blue-furred man ducked and used the pipe to pin him against the wall. The Biologist kicked him in the gut, attempting to grab him by the thick throat. McWinkle swung his pipe again, hitting him harder than the first time. The Biologist stumbled towards the tiled floor as the big blue-furred man gripped on his pipe tighter to the point where his fur on his knuckles went a bit white.

He didn't expect the Biologist to straighten his posture and punched his running sawblade towards him but he blocked the attack with the pipe. However, the Biologist cut through the pipe as if blocking him with it wasn't effective. McWinkle grabbed him by the thin arms, pushing the bloody sawblade and the snatching claw away from his face. He kicked him in the gut while tearing his sawblade and claw out of his arms, leaving the killer defenseless. The sawblade stopped turned and the claw was deactivated once McWinkle removed it. The Biologist's body shook violently as McWinkle gave one last kick to the mask head. The Biologist was down for the count, the three scoped eyes darkened.

McWinkle panted as if he's been fighting for hours while looking at the animals, who had their mouth opened agape.

"Don't act shock," McWinkle replied while tossing the sawblade and claw aside.

"Um...should we arrest the Biologist?" Michael pointed at the Biologist's limp body.

"I think it's the perfect time to arrest him," Vicky responded with a firm nod.

"Wait...don't," McWinkle uttered as he looked at them.

"Why not, compadre?" Goat asked with an arched brow.

McWinkle sighed heavily. "He said something about Fort Dunstan...I wonder if that's where the cultist were taking Guy."

"Wait, they took Guy already?" Michael gasped in shock.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. That's why we can't arrest him yet. He has to tell us about Fort Dunstan and whether it would be the place where it would most likely take Guy," McWinkle explained while looking down at the passed out Biologist.

~.~

Meanwhile, E.B waited with Mr. Jenkins, Karlos, and Max outside of the castle, growing impatient.

"Do you think they're doing okay in there?" E.B asked her animal friends as Karlos sighed deeply.

"Well...it's not like we could do anything to help them," Karlos replied while Mr. Jenkins noticed a black truck heading out of the castle. He squawked and warbled while sniffing the scent that was so familiar to him.

E.B noticed the black truck and Mr. Jenkins tensing up. "What's the matter, Mr. Jenkins?"

Mr. Jenkins squabbled as if he's trying to say something but couldn't.

Karlos arched a brow from his fishbowl. "What's going on with him?"

"P-Papa!" Mr. Jenkins squawked, causing the little girl to raise her brow.

"Papa?" E.B uttered and then froze in her position. Her youthful eyes went wide with fear and her lips slightly parted.

"Papa?"

"Guy." She glanced at the black truck as it disappeared into the woods. "We have to tell the others quickly!"

"Are you crazy?! Don't your parents teach you common sense?!"

"Yeah! And this is one of them!" E.B answered with determination. Mr. Jenkins warbled happily while flapping his feathers and Max barked excitedly.

"Well, do you have a plan on how we can get in? You out of all people should know that this place is heavily guarded with armed cultists. If they see us, we'll be one bullet away from death," Karlos warned the little girl, causing E.B began to ponder.

She examined the castle from top to bottom and saw that there was a way in. An open window in the center of the castle wasn't heavily guarded and if she and the animals snuck through there, there won't be any suspicion.

"Looks like I have found us a way in," E.B replied as she picked up Karlos's fishbowl and mounted on Mr. Jenkins's back. Max hopped up onto the chickeraffe's back as E.B held onto the long thin neck belonging to the rare exotic creature. "You see that window, Mr. Jenkins. Let's go through it without being spotted."

Mr. Jenkins nodded his head in obedience and swung them all under the bridge and leaped into the castle effectively without being spotted.

~.~

Cat, Grinch, and the Lorax sat with Gabriella, Sam, and Michellee, waiting for the others to come back in the grand hall.

Cat yawned. "Well...I'm bored."

"It's not like we have anything else to do," Grinch whispered with a low growl.

"I don't know if McWinkle and Chad are going to come back," Michellee uttered her concern as she glanced around the party.

Sam tensed up a bit. "I hope Guy is okay."

Gabriella held his hand to calm him down, causing him to gaze up at her. "He'll be okay. I promise."

Sam smiled at her softly. "Thank you."

Cat smirked at the two of them. "Looks like this party isn't getting so boring after all."

"Psst, Mom!" They heard someone whisper loudly as they glanced around the grand hall. They noticed a familiar little girl with red hair in a tight ponytail and holding a fishbowl, a chickeraffe in a ball, and a brown dog sticking his tongue out.

"Uh oh, something happened," Grinch uttered as they watched E.B, Mr. Jenkins, and Max sneak through the grand hall, passing by them.

"Mom, Sam, guys--Guy has been taken," E.B whispered urgently while approaching them.

"What?" The group gasped.

"I knew aliens are real," Cat replied dramatically.

"By the cultists," E.B clarified.

"Oh...what a surprise," Cat uttered while rolling his eyes to himself.

"Where are they taking him?" Michellee asked E.B.

"We don't know...we didn't have a chance to chase after them," Karlos replied.

"But Mr. Jenkins can sense Guy in that black truck," E.B added.

The Lorax pondered for a moment. "I think I know a way to know the location of Guy."

Sam gasped in shock. "You do?"

The Lorax nodded. "Yep...but it's going to require privacy."

~.~

_"Are you sure we should do this?"_

_"He has to explain himself."_

They saw the green scoped eyes flickering as if someone was waking up from their nap. A groan was made behind the mask with handless arms tied behind a chair he's sitting on. McWinkle drew his brows together.

"Alright, enough with the slasher kills. Who are you? What is your name?" McWinkle interrogated immediately. "We tried taking off your mask but it's pretty difficult to take it off of you. It seemed stuck to your head. Are a man or a machine?"

"Man or M̷͍̑̓̕ā̵̡c̸̙̻̰̐̕h̸̠̖̫͑i̷̤̺̒̃͊n̷̨͛ͅe̵̢̳̿̿̉?" The Biologist's glitchy voice was shaken, trembling in front of the pair of eyes staring at him. "I felt my ḣ̸̳͉ĕ̵͉ạ̵̱̮̇̒͒r̷̛̳͍͜t̶̼͒͜ beating in my chest. I can barely breathe in this mask...P̷̫̐̽͛r̸̝͚̍͘o̶̮͕͒͑̒m̵̡͖̅̉i̴̼̋̅s̶̖̓̂e̷̮̲͂̔̓ ̵̧̙͑̒͂ me you won't let them take me. Promise me!"

"Okay, calm down--"

"Do you work with the cult?" Goat interrupted the interogation between McWinkle and the Biologist.

There's a tense silence in the room.

The Biologist's voice became more clearer. "The-The cult? Those people? Yes...don't let them take me!"

"Take you where?" Vicky's soft sympathetic voice took over the conversation.

The Biologist's knees were shaking. "F-Fort Dunstan."

"Fort Dunstan?" Michael looked to his group.

Jean pondered deeply.

"What's in Fort Dunstan?" McWinkle interrogated the Biologist. "Do you remember your name?"

The Biologist began sniffling behind the mask. "They-They took my name away there. They never gave me a name...they never gave me back my life."

Vicky softened her gaze. "What's your life like before you went into Fort Dunstan?"

The Biologist silenced himself, his body trembling. He looked at Michael, twitching his head. "I-I thought that I killed you a long time ago."

Jean and Goat glanced at Michael wide-eyed while Vicky furrowed her brow. McWinkle crossed his arms while watching his animal friends taking in the information.

"Uh...I don't even know you," Michael stated with a shrug.

The Biologist tilted his head. "No...You're Michael the Fox...unless you're---"

The gasp was heard behind the mask.

"You--You must be Michael junior." The Biologist finally was able to recognize the fox.

Michael arched his brow. "Uh...junior?"

"I know your father and your mother. Your mother left you in the box...the last thing I saw was...blood...I thought I killed you too...but she must have placed you somewhere safe," The Biologist stated.

Michael had tears edging out of his eyes. "She placed me in a box...she didn't abandoned me...you murdered her! You murdered both of my parents!"

"Michael," Goat called his name, trying to calm him down. Jean scurried off of Vicky's shoulders and perched on Michael's, rubbing his neck to calm him down.

"Michael, calm down," Vicky uttered as Michael began to clenched his fist tightly.

McWinkle realized that Michael was gritting his sharp teeth. "Uh...I'll take it from here."

"You murderer!" Michael lunged at the Biologist but Vicky and Goat held him back.

"Michael! Calm down!" Goat shouted firmly as they pulled him out of the room.

"I'm so sorry," The Biologist apologized, his voice shaky.

"You murderer!" Michael continued to scream as McWinkle helped escort Michael out of the room and shut the door behind them.

He then turned to the frightened killer abruptly. "Alright. You got a lot of explaining to do. First of all, our friend, Guy, is kidnapped--"

"Guy?"

"Yes, Guy. He's kidnapped by those cultists--"

"Guy? Samuel's best friend?"

McWinkle hardened his gaze at the Biologist. "Yes! Now listen up, they got our friend and you're the only person who has any connection with them. I have a bad feeling that they are going to torture the heckle of him. So, where would he be most likely taken to if the cultists were that organized? Where would be the place where people get tortured left and right? Where would Guy get taken?"

The Biologist silenced himself as his arms trembled. "Fort Dunstan."

McWinkle nodded his head in understanding. "Thank you."

When he turned to leave, he heard sobbing.

"Please...they are going to take me back there. They're going to make me hurt you," The Biologist stated as McWinkle turned to face him.

"We're going to have to arrest you."

"No...do more than that."

"What do you mean?"

There's a pause.

"Kill me."

"What?"

"Please, they-t̸͓͈̗̓ḫ̴̼̮͗ȅ̶͕̗͈̾͗y̸̫̆ are going to do way worst to me than death. Please, kill me and make it quick."

"No, we're going to find a way to--"

"I may not see Samuel I Am again but I rather die than for him to see me as a monster."

"Wait, why are you so worried about Sam for--?" McWinkle suddenly widened his eyes in realization. Once this realization sinks into his brain, his eyes trembled in horror. "Son of a yip...it can't be."

McWinkle approached the scared killer and felt his way around the mask. He found little clippings to unhook and take the mask off. He lifted the three-scoped mask that made the killer the monster. As soon as he saw the red-furred face, he dropped it on the floor. McWinkle unattached the weird wiring around his head so that the cultist wouldn't kill him right off the bat and stepped back. His eyes were wider than he ever imagined, his heart racing.

"What?" The red-furred man asked as McWinkle's lips trembled.

"Stan I Am?"

"Indeed I Am...I think."

~.~

Michael breathed heavily as Vicky left to get him a cup of water. Goat gruffed at the thought of that.

 _Like a cup of water is going to calm him down,_ Goat thought as Michael's body was rigid, filled with anger boiling up to the point where he wanted to unleash it.

Goat shook Michael's shoulders gently while sitting beside him. "Michael, calm down."

"He murdered my parents! He killed them! They-They didn't do anything to him!" Michael growled at Goat as Goat moved in front of him.

"Michael, look at me," Goat commanded as the fox was looking away. Goat used his hoof to move the fox's face to have him meet his gaze. "Look at me."

Michael met Goat's gaze as the goat rubbed on his shoulders. "He killed my parents, Atticus. Don't you know how that feels--?"

"Yes...Yes, I do. Trust me, I'm in that position for a long time."

Michael winced suddenly. "Oh...right. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Goat uttered sympathetically. "Look, Michael, you have every right to be angry at this person but...based on what I heard from him...he sounded like he regretted it."

"Like he should be," Michael snarled unintentionally at Goat.

Goat wasn't affected by the snarl. "Think about the people he was working with. How much they must have tortured him to do acts like this."

Michael began to think and everything in him began to be calm.

"The difference between Jeckles and the Biologist is that Jeckles doesn't regret his actions. The Biologist did. Shouldn't that tell you something about him?"

Jean furrowed his brow as he rubbed the fox's neck. "Yeah, I noticed that. It seemed to me that the Biologist wasn't as heartless as we thought. He must have been tortured to do horrible things like--"

"They were going to do to Guy," Goat figured out with as the trio's eyes were broadened suddenly in realization.

"I hope McWinkle gets the answer out of him," Michael uttered as Vicky approached the group with the cup of water.

"Here, Michael. This should calm you down," Vicky offered the water to Michael.

"Is it poison?" Goat arched a brow.

Vicky shot a withering glare at Goat. "No."

Michael received the cup gleefully. "Thanks, Vicky, you're the best."

Vicky blushed at Michael's compliment as he drank from his cup of water. Suddenly, McWinkle busted the door wide open, scaring the animals.

"Man, you trying to jumpscare us--"

"You will not believe what I just discovered!" McWinkle shouted in full panic.

"What?" The animals replied simultaneously.

The red-furred man slowly emerged from behind McWinkle, his short body trembling. The animals stared at the man.

"Um--"

"The Biologist is Sam's father the entire time!" McWinkle shouted as the animals had their eyes widened more.

"What?!" The animals screeched.

"SHUT UP!" They heard a familiar woman's voice as they turned to see Gluntz and Louis standing there, comically wide-eyed.

McWinkle noticed they were in cover in snow. "Um...where were--?"

"Out in a blizzard. We may or may not have killed Snerz and kissed," Louis replied, plastering a sheepish smile.

McWinkle arched a brow. "You guys kissed?"

Gluntz nodded her head eagerly.

McWinkle nodded his head approvingly with a thumbs up. "Nice."

"Could we get back to Sam's father at hand?!" Vicky shouted with urgency in her tone.

"Oh, right. Shut the front door!" Gluntz gasped dramatically.

Stan, the red-furred man, smiled awkwardly. "Hi."

"Oh boy...what are we going to tell, Sam?" Louis uttered, thinking about Sam.

Goat rolled his eyes sarcastically. "What should we tell him? 'Hey, Sam, upon recent discoveries, it turns out that your dad is a serial killer this whole time'."

"Or I could say: 'Yo, Sam. Your daddy killed my daddy'. Heck, we may have a deeper connection than I thought," Michael added while drifting off into a serious stare.

"Guys, this is serious," McWinkle pointed out while Stan awkwardly stood beside him idly. "We have to protect him from those cultists and most importantly, tell Sam about this."

"What will he think of me?" Stan uttered his question as the group will become silent.

Gluntz genuinely smiled at him. "I think he'll be more than thrilled to have his real dad back."

"Even if I used to be this monster?" Stan uttered, couldn't exactly rub his arms since he had no arms now.

"I highly doubt he'll even consider it," Goat reassured Stan.

"Speaking of which, we got to get back with the rest of the group," Louis suggested to his friends.

"Right," McWinkle uttered while they all tried to find their way towards the castle.

~.~

_Guy's Dream:_

Guy groaned deeply as he heard footsteps circling him. He fluttered his eyes open slightly to see nothing but darkness.

"Why are you so scare of your fate, Guy?"

Guy turned his head quickly to notice a dark hooded figure circling him like a vulture.

"Wh-Why are you doing this?!" Guy cried out, tears marking his wrinkled cheeks.

"You need to be convinced. So far, we weren't convincing enough."

"You-You're terrible at being convincing if you think I want to see the world burn!"

"Don't you have any idea the world must be burned? So that there could be something new...something prosperous...something successful?"

"What are you talking about?" Guy growled while he noticed the figure disappeared without a trace.

Immediately, a fist grabbed the hair of his head from behind, craning his neck up and forcing him on his knees. Guy screamed in pain as another hand grabbed his chin to look into the darkness that soon reveals the fire burning the village. He could hear screams but they were not of terror...they were the sounds of joy while the fire was lit ablaze in front of him.

"You people are sick!" Guy barked while trying to get out of someone's hold.

The fire that was lit ablaze in front of him turned into a beautiful tree with many branches that extended on all sides. His eyes went wide when he saw a river running through the riverbank beside it. He heard laughter again as everything was bright and beautiful.

"You wanted to protect the world, Guy. But you don't want it to change. In fact, I'm starting to think that you hate change," the figure hissed into his ear.

Guy growled while struggling in his hold. "What do you mean by change?"

The figure finally let go of Guy's head while Guy collapsed back onto the ground, coughing.

"This world must be erased. Start of something new. Something fresh. To do that, it must be burned. Once the world was burned, we'll rebuild it with a new prosperous life. It's time that we start over," the figure explained as he stepped over Guy and looked down at him.

"Does it have to include people getting killed?" Guy snarled, lifting his head to glare at the hooded figure. "Does it have to include everyone suffering?"

"It's included and to be expectant. How much do those Outsiders that you called family mean to you?"

"They mean the world to me. And you killed them--?!"

"I wasn't talking about your dead family in Stovepipe Junction."

Guy paused and his lips trembled. "They mean the world to me."

"What happens if they are dead--?"

"Don't you dare touch them!" Guy snapped aggressively as the figure laughed at Guy's anger.

"You have such a soft spot for those people that you met in your little journey."

"If you touch them, I swear I'll mcfreaking kill you!" Guy barked aggressively.

"I see that you're no different from me."

"What are you talking about?"

There's a pause.

"Join us...death does not have to end--"

"NO!!! I RATHER DIE THAN JOIN YOU SICK PSYCHOS!!!" Guy screamed at the top of his lungs, tears streaming down on his cheeks.

The figure chuckled humorlessly. "You're still as stubborn as a mule."

Guy's brows narrowed as he felt a tug of the back of his scruff neck, almost like the figure was dragging him through the darkness.

"Let go of me! Let go of me!" Guy yelled while trying to slap the hands holding him away but it's no use. "Stop it! Stop it!"

Suddenly, Guy was thrown into the lone cell with the door shut behind him. He coughed and then glanced back up at the hooded figure standing on the other side of it.

"You're so weak. Apparently, I won't need you then if you're that stubborn," The figure said this while about to walk away from the cell Guy was trapped.

Guy got up to his feet quickly and stumbled onto the door, peering out of the barred window. "Hey! I'm not finished with you!"

"Well, I'm finished trying to convince you to join us."

"Wait!" Guy shouted out to the hooded figure as the figure stopped and turned around to look at him for one last time. "You can't just leave me in here!"

"Apparently, I can. Besides, who's going to egg on the transformation?"

Guy widened his eyes in shock. "What are you talking about?! Who are you?!"

The figure pulled off of his hood while Guy had his eyes wider, his breath caught. It's him! He had orange fur and that ruff on his neck, but the fur was slightly pale. The hat was clean and neat and his face had no frown lines on them. His eyes had a cursed symbol of a circle with two snakes crossing over each other in the center of his pupils and his devilish smile was plastered on his smooth face.

Guy's hold on the bars shook while staring at his other-self. He shook his head in disbelief. "You're not me."

"Of course, I'm you but better," the other Guy replied.

~.~

_Reality:_

"Are you sure we should do this?" Sam asked as he, Cat, Michellee, Lorax, Gabriella, Mr. Jenkins, Max, Karlos, E.B, and Grinch headed through the castle hallways where nobody was around.

Lorax nodded his head in assurance. "It's the only way we get to find out where Guy is."

"Well, it's going to require a big ole pool, a thousand pounds of salt to make the Lorax float, a blindfold--"

"Whoa, whoa, what is all that for?" Grinch interrupted Cat's list.

"For when the Lorax goes into Guy's brain, duh," Cat responded with a giggle. "Or it's also known as 'The Void'."

"Um...I'm sure we're not going to need those things," Lorax reassured Cat with a simple chuckle. "Maybe a blindfold so that I won't be tempted to open my eyes."

Cat took a blindfold out of his hat with a wink. "You got it."

The Lorax led the group into the library with shelves and shelves of books however, it wasn't bigger than Cat's library in his fantasy island.

Lorax sat down on the wooden floor in the center of the library with everyone else circling around him and sitting down.

"Alright, Cat, hand me the blindfold," Lorax commanded as Cat handed him the blindfold. "Alright, I'm going to need you guys to be completely silent."

"Really? Wouldn't you want a fizzed television--?"

"No, thank you. Just complete silence," Lorax interrupted Cat's question. He put on the blindfold and inhaled deeply. Exhaling slowly, he began his process of getting into Guy's mind with everyone completely silent.

Throughout ten minutes, the group watched the Lorax closely, twitching his yellow mustache and whispering something that was easily understandable.

"Come on, Guy. Let me in. Let me in," Lorax muttered underneath his breath.

"Is it working?" Cat whispered, making Lorax groan irritably and take his blindfold off.

"I can't get in Guy's mind," Lorax replied with a deep sigh.

Gabriella arched a brow. "Maybe there's a different approach."

Lorax pondered for a moment. "Maybe."

Michellee glanced around the library. "I'm not sure if there are any books around here that might give us some useful information."

"Let's try!" Sam responded excitedly as he went to one of the shelves closest to them. However, when he skimmed through the books in the library with the help of Grinch and Gabriella. The three of them noticed that all the books were the exact same books with covers and words.

"This library is full of Forbidden Books," Grinch groaned irritably.

Cat rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Well, it's not like we're in a castle surrounded by the cultists!"

Sam pulled out one of the books and flipped through the pages but then...he stopped on a page that caught his eye. "Uh...guys?"

Everyone turned to Sam as Sam showed them a page where a name was added onto the list of cult members...the last one was proven to be shocking of them all.

_Guy Am I..._

The Lorax had his eyes enlarged as he put the blindfold back on. "There's another way I can get into Guy's mind...but it's going to be risky."

"Could you clarify that?" Grinch requested with a raised brow.

"I have to fully immerse myself into Guy's head...if I get killed...well, that's it for me."

"But you won't die...will you?" Michellee uttered with a worrisome tone.

Lorax paused himself as he lowered his head. "Let's hope for the best."

He inhaled deeply and bit his bottom lip as the lights flickered in the library. He began to float slightly above the ground, lightbulbs breaking on top of everyone.

~.~

_Guy's Dream:_

Guy spent his moments on the floor, crying in the cell. The unstoppable tears made their way down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor. He can't stop it, no matter how many times he wanted to stop. He heard voices that were familiar to ask him to let him in but he couldn't...he couldn't even stand up on his own. The cell vibrated around him as he lifted his head and craned his neck to look at the door.

He trembled as painful whimpers escaped from his lips when he tried to stand up again. His fur was pale as Guy noticed a mirror, looking back at himself. His fur and his eyes were pale. He noticed that he appear like a zombie, wrinkles underneath his eyes as if he hadn't slept for a week. The Knox missed the days where he could sleep peacefully, where he knew he was safe. He wished he felt safe now. He wished he felt normal again. But the other Guy, the one Guy considered to be the evil version of him, won't let him sleep in peace. Won't let him go and live on with his life. He had to succeed. He could never fail. Even if that means killing everyone he loves that would stand in his way of succeeding. He couldn't let that other Guy kill his family. He just couldn't. He won't be able to live with himself if they are dead.

"Guy."

Guy heard a familiar whisper.

"Guy, where are you?"

Guy gripped on the bars on the window as he saw the Lorax walking aimlessly in the darkness.

"Lorax!" Guy shouted but his voice was hoarse. "Over here!"

Lorax glanced around the darkness, hearing Guy's voice but couldn't see him.

"Where are you?"

"I'm in here! I'm in here!" Guy yelled despite his throat dry.

The Lorax's back was on the cell Guy was in. "Guy?"

"Please--!" Guy saw the other Guy waiting patiently in the shadows but the Lorax didn't see him. He quickly shook his head. "LORAX--!"

Lorax turned to him in the cell, wide-eyed. He quickly rushed towards Guy while the other Guy followed him, getting out his dark sword from his sheathe.

"Guy! I'm here," Lorax assured Guy.

Guy began to have tears leaking out of his eyes, shaking his head. "Get out of here before you get hurt--!"

Guy gagged, realizing that the other Guy wasn't letting him talk with a hand outstretched and a devilish smirk. Guy tried to motion Lorax to look behind him as Lorax tried to pry the door open.

"Hold on, Guy. I'll get you out of here," Lorax soothed while something felt off to him.

The Lorax turned around a little too late when a dark sword impaled him in the chest.

"NOOOOO!!!!!" Guy was finally able to scream with tears of rage marking down on his cheeks.

The Lorax had blood trickling down from the corner of his mouth as he mustered enough of his golden power before the other Guy could ponder on what he was doing. Before his life was being sucked away, Lorax shot out a ball of golden power into Guy in the cell, causing him to collapsed and blacked out for a moment onto the floor with a grunt.

Meanwhile, the other Guy examined the Lorax's dead body.

"Your friend is weak. Just like you," the other Guy teased him as Guy got up on his feet, glaring at him.

"You're not me at all! You're a monster!" Guy cried while his voice was hoarse from screaming and panting from having the Lorax's power running through him.

"I'm a part of you that's a monster. I think you of all people should know that."

"Why are you doing this?! I don't recall ever enjoying hurting people--"

"This is our destiny, Guy!" The other Guy's eyes flashed red, scaring Guy in the cell. "You and I are bound together! You and I are meant to succeed! But you! That good side of you decided to journey along with that Sam I Am!"

"He's my best friend--"

"Who scammed you throughout the whole journey, lie to your face, and worst of all took advantage of us! Heck, he even lied to you about his past until that one night in the tent. Do you remember that?"

"Of course, I remember that--but--"

"Then behind your back, he called up Snerz to tell him that the chickeraffe will arrive on schedule. Without your knowing!"

There's a pause as Guy trembled in his cell.

The other Guy narrowed his glare at him. "Not only you decided to journey with Sam I Am...you decided to be in love with this girl named Michellee."

"Wait, hold on--"

"She denied you several times and won't let you defend your own case. She even won't put aside time to help you with your needs--!"

"That's not true! She's trying to help me--!"

"Really?! Where is she right now?"

Guy didn't respond, trying to think of the last place he left her.

The other Guy smirked. "That's right...you're the one who left her."

Guy's lips trembled. "I love her. I had to protect her...from you."

The other Guy stood back from the cell. "You can't now, can you?"

Guy's angry tears edged out of his eyes as he gnashed his teeth. "Don't you dare touch her!"

"Oh, Guy. Maybe you just need to surrender to me. I promise I'll take great care of her."

Guy stumbled back to the door while the other Guy began to walk away.

"NO!" Guy screamed at the top of his lungs. "No! Don't you touch her! Don't you touch anyone! I'll kill you!"

The other Guy disappeared into the darkness as Guy collapsed on his knees and began to sob against the metal door.

~.~

_Reality:_

Lorax clutched his chest with his teeth gritted. Everyone had their eyes widened.

"Lorax?" Grinch uttered his name as Lorax took off the blindfold.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Michellee inquired in concern as Lorax glanced up at his group in the library.

"I-I didn't know that there's another Guy...but don't worry, I gave my power to the right one. It'll help a little," Lorax muttered as he lifted his hand to see that he was slowly turning to dust.

"Wait, the other Guy? What are you talking about?" Sam asked as the Lorax's body was finally turned to black dust.

"Oh no, he--he just got snapped out of existence," Cat gasped in shock.

"The other Guy? The power to the right one? What does he mean?" Grinch questioned himself as he examined the black dust piled in the center of the group.

Sam switched his focus on E.B. "Which direction did you see the black truck take off?"

"Last time I remembered...it went that way," E.B pointed the direction she remembered the truck going.

Sam set his determined gaze on her. "Alright. Thanks, E.B." With that said, Sam ran off without saying goodbye.

Michellee turned to see Sam exiting the library. "Sam, where are you going?!"

He flicked a glance at her."I'm going after Guy!"

"Which Guy?!" Cat shouted his question.

"The one who's my best friend!" Sam answered back with determination as he exited out of the library.

"Sam, wait--!"

Sam's already gone by the time Michellee was about to protest. Michellee covered her mouth, suddenly worried about Sam's safety as well as Guy's.

Gabriella glanced up to Cat. "Dad, I need to borrow your hat."

Cat arched a brow at his adopted daughter. "Okay--"

By the time he gave her his hat, she immediately wore it and took it off so that the hat could recognize her brain. She took out a motorcycle out of his hat and sat on it. Before anyone could say something, Gabriella rode away after Sam.

"Well...I did not think she had that in her," Karlos uttered, a bit speechless as Cat picked up his hat and put it back on.

"Well, she is her father's daughter," Cat responded with an impressed smile. "I think we should follow them."

"Wait, what about the Lorax?" Grinch protested.

"He's dead. What else are we going to do about him? Buried his ashes?" Karlos argued back at the Grinch.

Mr. Jenkins warbled uncontrollably as in trying to take part in the argument while Max barked at the fish.

"Hey, I don't mean that to be disrespectful to him," Karlos pointed out to the dog.

They heard someone bursting into the library as the group quickly turned around to see McWinkle, Vicky, Michael, Louis, Gluntz, Goat, Jean, and Stan entering the library, panting as if they had been running.

"We have to get out of here," McWinkle stated with a huff as he noticed the black dust behind them. "What happened?"

"The Lorax...he died trying to get inside of Guy's mind to see where they're taking him," Grinch replied grimly.

"He's being taken to Fort Dunstan," Stan responded, his voice shaky.

Everyone stared at Stan.

"Stan? Stan I Am?" Grinch recognized quickly with a bright smile. "I remember you! You're the butcher! But...wait...Sam said that you're dead."

"Samuel? My Samuel thinks I'm dead?" Stan uttered tearfully.

Cat had his fists on his hips. "Well, we should've gone and looked for you guys first before Sammy and Gabriella left--"

"They left?" Goat replied, wide-eyed.

"I think Gabriella is going to stop Sam from going to get Guy," Karlos predicted.

"Or she'll join him," McWinkle predicted. "Let's stop yacking and get out of this castle."

"I couldn't agree more," Michellee uttered. "Wait, where's Chad?"

McWinkle and the animals were silent. They slowly glanced down at Stan, who just lowered his head in shame.

"Sorry," Stan muttered underneath his breath.

"You killed him?" Michellee gasped in shock.

McWinkle calmed her down. "He was controlled to do it--"

"He still killed him," Cat pointed out with a raised brow.

"Look, what they did to Stan, they are going to do to Guy if we don't get out of this castle and help him," Grinch determined with his brows drawn together.

"Right," Michael agreed with a nod.

~.~

Sam ran through the forest, already out of the castle. His feet hurt from running too long but he couldn't give up. He knew he had to rescue his briefcase buddy from his doom. What he didn't know was that Gabriella was riding the motorcycle behind him, catching up. She steered the motorcycle right in front of him to stop him in his tracks and it worked.

Sam groaned a bit. "Don't try to stop me--"

"I'm not trying to stop you," Gabriella corrected Sam, who had his eyes widened. "I know how much Guy means to you but you can't reach him on foot. Hop on!"

Sam beamed brightly as he hopped onto the motorcycle behind her and held onto her waist as she drove them through the forest, following the truck tracks that were marked on the dirt.

Meanwhile, the others ran out of the castle by using the secret exit with urgent gazes straight ahead from the bridges. Thank goodness the guards weren't outside guarding at this time.

"Fort Dunstan is that way," Stan informed his group while cocking his head to gesture ahead of them.

"Wait, what happened to your arms?" Grinch pointed at Stan's sleeves that were supposed to replace the arms he lost.

"I ripped the saw blade and the claw out of--"

"No...I mean before he went haywire," Grinch interrupted McWinkle's explanation.

"They ripped them off of me and replaced it with a saw and a claw," Stan uttered.

Grinch pondered. "Alright. We'll find out how to get your arms soon."

Cat did a headcount while nodding to himself. Goat grunted to himself and went off with Jean perched on his head.

"How in the world are we going to reach them? We don't have a vehicle--"

"What about the vehicles we use to get in here?" Gluntz pointed out to Michellee.

"I doubt they're still in that parking lot. Murray might have disposed them before realizing what's happening," Louis predicted.

"Well, thanks, Murray, you saved our lives," Karlos replied sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

"Then does anyone have a plan on how to find a vehicle?" Vicky asked her group.

Out of nowhere, Goat rode the motorcycle out of the castle parking lot and swerved behind both Michael and Vicky with Jean holding onto his horns. They turned around while Michael smiled brightly at Goat's new ride.

"Hop on! Both of you!" Goat commanded as Michael quickly got on behind his friend and held onto him tightly. Vicky was hesitant at first while carefully getting on the vehicle with her fluffy black dress and holding onto Michael's chest. Goat sped the motorcycle off of the bridge and drove after Sam and Gabriella.

"Well...at least the animals are taken care of," Grinch replied, his eyes comically wide.

"What about this sweet ride?"

Everyone turned around to notice Cat in the driver's seat in a silver car with red stripes all around it. It had booster engines on each side of the care and big wheels. The red leather seats were numbered perfectly for the number of people riding in the car. Everyone stared in awe with some of them had their mouths opened agape.

"Well, what is everyone waiting for? Get in!" Cat smiled grandly as the doors automatically prompted open for everyone to get in. Michellee, E.B, Louis, and Gluntz sat in the back seats with Max and Mr. Jenkins on their feet and E.B holding Karlos's fishbowl. Stan and the Grinch sat in the middle of the front seats between Cat and McWinkle.

As soon as McWinkle closed the last door, Cat started the engine and zoomed off of the bridge, making an impact on the group's seating.

"Ow!" Grinch yelped out loud while everyone else groaned in pain slightly.

"Oh, sorry, should've warned you sooner," Cat replied with a grin and headed off into the direction where the animals, Gabriella, and Sam went.

~.~

Gabriella focused ahead with Sam embracing her tightly and resting his chin on her shoulder with a warm smile. However, they both saw something odd ahead of them, causing Gabriella jerking into a complete stop on the motorcycle. She noticed the black truck toppled down a slope besides them that led towards the expanse of yellow grass, crashing into the ground with some dead bodies. Gabriella slowly crept up to the scene and they noticed a hole on the side of the black truck as if someone broke through it.

Sam widened his eyes. "Do you think Guy got out of it?"

"I don't know," Gabriella uttered as they turned their heads to see Guy in the middle of the yellow grass field, trembling and shaking. It seemed like Guy was holding his head while growling.

"Guy!" Sam shouted his name as he hopped off the motorcycle and ran towards his best friend.

"Sam, wait!" Gabriella yelled as she parked her motorcycle beside the crashed truck and bolted after him.

Sam sprinted until he reached Guy by an inch. "Guy! I'm so glad you're okay--"

"Stay away from me, you traitor!" Guy barked as he swiped at Sam, hitting the short man away from him and leaving scratch marks on his chest that bled out.

Gabriella had her eyes widened with tears edging out. "SAM!!!"

Guy grasped around Sam's throat with his hands, his eyes flashing red and his fur turning red. His teeth soon had fangs and he had tails...two to be exact.

"Guy, get off of him!!" Gabriella demanded angrily at him but Guy whipped his hungry glare at her, scaring her out of her wits.

"Gabriella--get out of here--"

"No! I'm not leaving you here!" Gabriella cried while she attempted to push Guy off of Sam but Guy, as a beast, mindlessly grabbed her dress and threw her away from them.

Unbeknownst to them, Goat, Michael, Vicky, and Jean noticed this while riding down the slope and zoomed towards Guy and Sam.

"Everyone, hang on. I'm going to do something irrational!" Goat warned his friends.

They nodded their heads as Goat leaned to one side, taking his friends with him. Then they let go of the vehicle as Goat used his back hooves to kick the motorcycle at Guy. The motorcycle hit Guy and caused him to let go of Sam. Guy, the two-tail red-furred beast, tumbled away from Sam as Gabriella got up on her feet and sped towards Sam.

"Sam! Are you okay?!" Gabriella screamed as she slid down on her knees, giving little regard on how dirty her dress might become. She cupped his head while he smiled up at her.

"I'm fine," Sam responded, his voice croaked from being choked by Guy.

Michael and Vicky rushed to his aid quickly while Jean scurried onto Michael's shoulder.

"You okay, man?" Michael questioned Sam, checking his head for temperature.

"I'm fine...Michael," Sam uttered while trying to smile like it wasn't that big of a deal.

Guy, as a beast, got on all fours and glared at the animals along with Gabriella and Sam.

"That's-That's not Guy," Sam pointed as Goat glared back at the beast.

"Snap out of it, Guy!" Goat yelled at the red-furred beast, who had claws sticking out. "You're not really Guy! Guy would never hurt others purposefully!"

Guy roared and charged towards them.

"Talking him out of it ain't gonna work!" Vicky shouted to inform Goat as she took out her pistol, now loaded.

"Wait, Vicky--"

Vicky pulled the trigger to shoot Guy down but the bullets ricochet off of the beast, letting him get angrier.

"You're only going to make him angry!" Goat pointed out to Vicky as he charged towards the beast, tackling him and wrapping his arms around Guy's neck.

"Snap out of it, Guy! Now! Don't make me the good guy in this scenario!" Goat shouted, remembering fighting Guy except Guy had an advantage with the self-flyer that automatically exploded on him. But beast Guy didn't seem to remember as he grabbed Goat by the back and flung him towards Vicky, Michael, and Jean, knocking them down like pinballs at the bowling alley.

Gabriella hugged Sam to protect him despite Sam trying to push her away.

"Gabriella...please...go--"

"No, I'm staying with you," Gabriella uttered while holding onto him tightly.

Cat arrived with his silver car, with Michellee, McWinkle, Gluntz, Louis, E.B, Stan, Grinch, Karlos, E.B, Max, and Mr. Jenkins inside of it. Everyone got out of the car as E.B ran out first, holding Karlos's fishbowl and having Max and Mr. Jenkins trailed behind her.

"E.B!" Michellee called, chasing after her daughter. Her shout caught the beast's attention as E.B froze in fear under his dangerous gaze. Michellee pulled her daughter by the arm and have her hide behind her. Michellee's eyes were stained with tears, fearing the danger that will take place soon.

"That's not Guy, Mom," E.B whispered, staring at him.

"E.B, run up the slope with Mr. Jenkins, Max, and Karlos," Michellee softly commanded her daughter. "Get to somewhere safe--"

"But, Mom--"

"Do as I say," Michellee reaffirmed her demand as the beast Guy lurked closer to her.

E.B still froze in fear along with the animals.

Michellee noticed E.B still standing idly. "Now!"

Mr. Jenkins warbled in fear as he picked E.B, Karlos, and Max up and zoomed away from Michellee.

"MOM!!" E.B cried out as Mr. Jenkins shrunk himself into a pink furball and hopped into the bush on top of the slope.

Michellee stood there boldly, sweating profusely from the heat of the beast's breath. She closed her eyes, ready for whatever was coming next until McWinkle tackled Guy.

"Leave her alone!" McWinkle barked at the beast and pulled him away from her. Louis and Gluntz saw McWinkle up on the beast's back as Louis bolted to help. Gluntz took out her net gun and aimed it to be ready for when the boys give her a signal to shoot.

Grinch, Stan, and Cat strode into the scene, with Stan and Cat tending to both Gabriella and Sam and Grinch helping Louis and McWinkle.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Cat questioned Gabriella, his tone serious for once while checking for any bruises on his daughter.

"I'm fine, Dad. I'm fine," Gabriella said this while hugging her adopted feline father.

Cat held her tightly. "Please don't make me lose you the same way I lost your brothers."

"But Dad--"

"Please."

When Gabriella glanced up at her father, she noticed the tears edging out of his eyes. She pursed her lips for a moment until she nodded.

"Okay."

"Okay, I love you so much sweetheart. I will never live with myself if I lose you too," Cat uttered while hugging her.

"I love you too," Gabriella responded while smiling into his chest.

Stan knelt by Sam, with Sam raising his brow.

"Howdy stranger," Sam uttered, trying to contain his smile.

However, he soon realized that he wasn't fooling Stan.

"Samuel?" Stan recognized Sam.

Sam raised his brow. "Do I know you?"

Stan noticed Sam's red hat and then used his head to put his hat on, letting his foot do the work on making the hat fit. Sam widened his eyes when Stan sat up straight and smiled at him.

"You have carried the I Am family with you the entire time," Stan replied, hoping that Sam will recognize it.

Sam's tears gushed out of his eyes. "Dad?"

Stan began to tear up while nodding his head. "Yes...it's me, son."

Sam immediately sat up and hugged his father quickly, sobbing into his shoulder. Stan snuzzled the crook of his neck while wearing Sam's red hat and tearing up.

"I thought you died," Sam uttered while holding him.

"No...they almost succeeded in me forgetting about you and your mother. But I never forgot about you or your mother. I love you both so much, son. I want you to know that first and foremost," Stan replied while beginning to cry. "And your mother loves you too."

"I know she does. I know she does," Sam muttered, his voice shaky.

"She always does. And she always will," Stan uttered while Sam broke away from him, holding his sides.

"Dad...your arms--"

"They took them away from me, son. But don't worry. Grinch will find a replacement," Stan uttered.

"A little help here!" Grinch shouted as he's trying to wrap the beast's legs with a rope but was smacked away from the beast. McWinkle wrapped his arms around the beast's neck and noticed Gluntz aiming the net gun at the beast.

"Gluntz! Shoot!"

Gluntz pulled the trigger, firing a huge net over to Guy. McWinkle leaped off and Louis and Grinch ducked to dodge the net. The net wrapped around the red-furred beast version of Guy.

"Yes!" McWinkle cheered as everyone sighed in relief.

Cat pulled out a syringe with the purple liquid in it out of his hat. "Good thing I have more of these."

Gabriella glanced at Cat, wide-eyed. "Where did you get that this time?"

"From the castle. They really shouldn't leave those things lying around," Cat responded with a witty grin.

Guy used his claws to tear through the net.

"Son of a yip!" McWinkle cursed as he tried to tackle him again. However, Guy was quick to his feet and swiped him in the face, causing McWinkle to cover his eye and blood soaking his hand.

"Dad!" Louis cried while running to his aid while Gluntz glared at the beast and tried to hop onto his back.

Guy knocked her away from him, pushing her into Goat, who tried to get up and fight despite his back leg swollen. Goat collapsed again on top of Michael and Vicky, groaning in pain.

Cat charged towards him with the elixier. "Give us our Guy back!"

Cat hopped onto his back and almost stabbed the beast with the elixier but the beast managed to throw him off with his claws and make him drop the elixir by Michellee's feet. Grinch was the last one standing at the momen as he tried to fight Guy. While he was fighting Guy, Michellee picked up the elixir and hid it behind her back when Grinch was struck in the stomach by Guy.

Everyone's down except for Michellee, who stared up at the beast in fear. The beast took notice of her and edged a crooked grin. It walked on all fours up to her as hardened her gaze at the beast.

The beast leaned over her shoulder to whisper. "I did promise Guy that I would take great care of you."

Michellee narrowed her brows together while gripping the syringe tighter. "Well, then let him take care of me himself!"

Before the beast could back out, Michellee jabbed the syringe onto his shoulder and insert the purple liquid inside of the beast. She wrapped her arms around the beast's neck and hugged him tightly. She whispered into the beast's ear. "Guy, I know you're in there. Please come back."

The beast trembled in Michellee's hold as the red fur slowly turned back to orange fur. The beast growled that suddenly morphed into a whimper as the beast's front paws turned into hands that held onto Michellee like a lifeline. The two tails fell off as the beast turned into the familiar scared Knox. Guy had his eyes closed, gripping on his lover tightly. When Guy had finally turned back to the way he was, Michellee took out the syringe on his shoulder and threw it away from them.

Guy began to weep into Michellee's shoulder, his body trembling. "Michellee?"

"Shh, shh, you're safe now, Guy," Michellee whispered in reassurance.

"D-Did I hurt anyone?" Guy stuttered while looking at her face to make sure he hadn't left a bruise or marks on her.

Sam beamed brightly as he stood up, helping his armless father up to his feet. He watched his briefcase buddy caressed his lover's face with a small smile. Guy turned to look at Sam, his eyes suddenly widening horror.

"Sam?!" Guy gasped as he noticed Sam having a bruise around his neck and deep scratch marks across his abdomen. "You're injured!"

Sam looked down at himself and tried to calm Guy down. "It's okay, bud. I'm okay."

"No, it's not--" Guy looked around to see everyone else bruised and scratched up with plain smiles to show that they're happy and okay but that didn't convince Guy otherwise. Guy looked down at his hands in pure terror.

"Honey," Michellee called as Guy backed away from her.

"No...I don't want to hurt you. Please...I don't--" Guy teleported away from the group.

Cat rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Gee, Guy has to leave every--"

A bullet crashed onto his chest suddenly, causing everyone to gasp and freak out.

"DAD!" Gabriella called out as Grinch noticed a hiding spot they could use in the bush beside him but he was too late to tell them when the cultists surrounded them with guns. Grinch hid in the bushes quickly before he was spotted while everyone else had their hands up in surrender except Stan.

The man in a snowy white fur stormed through the cultists with a smirk. "You guys are very sneaky. I knew there's something off about you people. Take them to Fort Dunstan! Where's Guy?"

"We-We don't know," McWinkle answered calmly.

"Fine. He'll surrender himself to the whispers soon enough. Take them!"

The cultists guided the group away from Cat's body, who just laid there motionless.

"Dad...Dad, please come back." Gabriella hugged Cat to stay with him but the guards lifted her away from her adopted father while she kicked and screamed out her father. "DAD! DAD!!"

Everyone was taken into the dark trucks while Grinch watched his friends being taken with a deep sigh.

"What am I going to do?" Grinch muttered underneath his breath.

"Do you mean, what are we going to do?" A familiar voice spoke up as he turned around to notice E.B, Mr. Jenkins, Max, and Karlos coming out of the bushes behind him.

"For once...I haven't gotten a clue," Grinch replied with a sigh.

~.~

Guy teleported near a cliff where it overlooked the roaring seas. The waves crashed onto the rocky shores, drowning the sound of Guy's scream over the cliff. His tears leaked non-stop while his knees collapsed on the grass. He covered his face in shame from the rising sun.

"No...no," Guy muttered while putting his hands down and gazed into the rising sun. He couldn't live like this anymore. He knew he couldn't. He murdered his own friend and almost hurt his entire family by being this...mangy ugly beast. His evil powers were getting too strong and who knows when the next time he'll become the beast that everyone feared him now.

His knees were shaking when he stood up on his feet, his toes curling over the edge. He stared at that orange sun that was slowly rising over the horizon. His gaze moved down towards the crashing waves below him, wondering if this was the right time. The right time to jump. If he jumped, will he die? Will this nightmare of a life end if he jumped? If he didn't try to resurface...just let himself drown in the empty vastness of the ocean, will he be able to find peace? Will his loved ones' lives be better if he's gone? A burden that no one should carry.

Would anyone care if he did jump?

Guy breathed ragged and heavily, his heart thumping through his chest. His legs were shaking, begging him to stay in his place. He stretched his arm and reached out towards the sun, almost like he wanted someone to grab his trembling hand. But no one came. No one knew where he was. He wasn't sure if that's good or bad thing that no one knew...but, in the end, it didn't matter. He felt a weight in his fur pocket and he knew what it was. He put his arm down and reached for the paper that he found on Michellee's sweater.

He gazed into everyone's faces in the drawing, seeing their smiles in bright color. He couldn't help but weep quietly. His hold on the drawing was trembling from clutching it tightly. He knew he will gaze into that picture for one last time. He sighed sadly and subconsciously flipping it over to the other side to find a note.

This shocked Guy to find the words that were written in purple color:

_So you'll know everyone is with you, even when you fail. I love you so much, Guy._

_-Love, Michellee_

Guy had his eyes bulged out, his lips trembling. He couldn't form into any words to say what he's thinking right this moment. He read the note in Michellee's voice in his mind, almost like her voice was the only thing that soothed him and comforting him right this minute.

He lowered the paper from his sight, taking in those words. He should know that they will be there for him. It's not a problem of hurting his family that caused him to be insane...no, it's not that at all. It's the thought that he's trying to protect them from himself but ended up pushing them away permanently because he couldn't trust himself to be around them.

Guy gazed into the rising sun again. It's a new day...a new day to start over. To stand up for what's right and fight that evil side of himself. To fight the evil that lurked in the Gatherers of the Whispers. With that thought in mind, his brows narrowed while stepping away from the ledge. He put the drawing of his family back in his fur pocket with a determined look on his face. He knew what to do next.

~.~

In the empty field, Grinch pressed down on Cat's chest, not feeling his heartbeat. He parted Cat's lips and blow the air into his lungs until Cat grabbed Grinch by the head and kissed him on the lips. Grinch pushed Cat away in pure disgust.

"Ugh! Cat!" Grinch scolded while spitting out fur ball from the Cat's lips.

Cat sat straight up while laughing. "I knew I'll earn my kiss eventually! Though I did not expect it to be the opposite gender. It was a nice prank."

"Remind me to never perform CPR on you," Grinch growled with pure disgust. E.B laughed a bit while Mr. Jenkins squawked happily and Max rolled his eyes at Cat.

"You know, your daughter was crying over your 'dead' body!" Karlos yelled at Cat for his silly little prank.

"Where is she?" Cat uttered as everyone looked at him in shock.

"Did you seriously not hear your daughter screaming out for you?" Grinch pointed out.

"No, I was unconscious for a while...where is she?" Cat interrogated.

"The cultists took her along with everyone else," E.B chirped the information urgently.

Cat took out a shotgun from his hat. "They're going to die."

"Whoa, whoa." Grinch stopped Cat from marching onward. "First off, there's an army of cultists--"

"I can take them out with me and my lucky hat--"

"No, we need something more powerful then--"

Guy teleported out of nowhere. "Hi."

The group jumped back and screamed while Cat accidentally pulled the trigger and shot at Guy's shoulder. However, the small peebles in bullets popped out of his shoulder in deflection.

Cat narrowed his brows at him. "Gee, could've you just show up sooner? Where were you anyway? Off and alone, I see? For all the times we put ourselves out there to help you with those nightmares and what did you do? We would lose every limb just for you to be okay and what did you do? You just left us like you always have. You left when we're at my fantasy land after that nightmare, you left when we're at the castle, you've left us when we're at the cave--you know what, you've left us more times than you think."

Cat noticed Guy's silence, his eyes gazing on the ground. Mr. Jenkins, Max, E.B, Grinch, and Karlos were surprised by Cat's outburst.

Grinch raised his finger. "Um, Cat--"

"Well, don't you have anything to say in your defense?" Cat probed with a snarl.

Guy bit his bottom lip and raised his head to gaze into Cat's eyes. "I'm sorry."

Cat began to soften his gaze a bit.

"I-I don't blame you for not trusting me in helping you. Especially after what I did. But know, that I never intended on hurting anyone, including you. I wanted to keep you guys safe...and I thought--I thought that by running away and leaving you guys would somehow make you safer without me. Look what happened to you guys because of this beast...I was too afraid of me. If I killed you guys...I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Guy paused in his speech while Cat's eyes began to grow soft.

"I didn't mean to hurt you guys. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you and everyone else down. I'm sorry."

Cat pondered for a moment and then shifted his attention to his friend. With a soft sympathetic smile, he placed his hand on Guy's shoulder. The Knox gazed into his soft eyes.

"What are friends for?" Cat replied softly. "I forgive you, Guy."

"Thank you, Cat."

"No problem."

There's a distant pause.

"I need your help," Guy uttered a bit.

"That's what I like to hear," Cat responded while nodding his head.

"The cultists are taking our friends to Fort Dunstan...I don't know taking you near the cult would be a good idea. Given to what happened last time in the castle," Grinch explained.

Guy rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah...they put something in me and it just hurts."

"Really? Is it the red chemical--?" Suddenly, a lightbulb went off of the Grinch's head.

"Grinch?"

Grinch smiled devilishly. "Why haven't I thought of this before?"

"What?" Guy uttered with a brow raised.

Grinch looked at his group, bright-eyed. "My cave in WhoVille, now!"

"Wait, what about--?"

"If we're quick about it, we'll deal with them after we help Guy with his powers," Grinch replied in determination, interrupting E.B's question.

"What's going on?" Guy asked the Grinch.

Grinch took Guy aside. "Guy, you're going to have to tell me everything you've been through. Every detail you could remember when the cultists were capturing you."

"Okay...I'll try."

"Good. We need to get to WhoVille." 

**_To Be Continued..._ **


	15. Episode Fifteen: The Final Stance

_**Episode Fifteen: The Final Stance** _

Back in WhoVille within the Grinch's cave, Grinch got out his huge blackboard and wrote the math in it to show Guy, Cat, E.B, Max, Mr. Jenkins, and Karlos the idea would cost.

"So, based on what Guy experiences earlier in the castle, they injected him with something that only made him feel worse. My theory is that they put some more of that red chemical inside of him and it somehow grew within him when he's being electrocuted," Grinch pointed out to his friends as he took out a hologram of the chemical balance within Guy's body. "Look, see how they're now in the perfect balance--"

"As all things should be."

"Enough with the Marvel references, Cat," Grinch said with a groan at Cat. "Look, several minutes ago, we see that the red chemical is overpowering the golden chemical, which turned him into a beast. Now, the elixir that Michellee injected inside of him, neutralized his powers."

"We know all of that. So, what's the point?" Karlos interrogated the Grinch.

Grinch smiled deviously. "There's one important small detail we missed. Look at what the purple liquid is doing inside of Guy's body."

He showed them the hologram of Guy's insides with the chemicals in balance. However, they saw that the purple liquid injected in him was only neutralizing the red chemical and not touch the gold chemical.

"What?" Guy uttered to himself as Grinch glanced back at his group.

Grinch's smile broadened. "It didn't neutralize all of his powers."

"Wait, how is that possible?" Karlos pointed out to the Grinch.

"It's easy, Karlos. The cult made the elixir for controlling the beast inside of Guy. Therefore, the red chemical belongs to the cult but the golden chemical does not," Grinch clarified.

"Huh, interesting," Guy muttered his breath.

"Then what are we going to do about it?" E.B asked with her head tilted. "How long will the elixir neutralize the red chemical?"

"A day," Grinch stated.

Karlos popped out of his fishbowl, his fins holding onto the rim of his fishbowl. "If we're going to rescue our friends with Guy's red chemical still intact, then we're going to need a dozen elixirs for his powers to stay neutralize."

"Too bad Michellee used the last elixir," Cat said this with a sigh.

"Wait, there's no more?!" Karlos gasped in shock.

"As far as I could find in the castle," Cat reported with a grin.

"We don't need more elixirs," Grinch stated with eagerness. "And we certainly can't extract the red chemical out of him, otherwise that will kill him."

"Then...what do we need?" Karlos questioned the green what.

The Grinch glanced at Guy for a brief moment and then back at the rest of the group. "We need to add."

"What?!" Guy, Cat, Karlos, and E.B shouted simultaneously.

Max barked a bit in confusion as Mr. Jenkins warbled nervously.

"Think about it. The cult added more of the red chemical inside of Guy and electrocuted him to quicken the process. What if we add more gold chemical just enough to exterminate the red chemical inside of Guy?" Grinch explained his idea. "That's what the Lorax was trying to do before he died!"

Karlos furrowed his brow. "So...that's what he means about giving the power away. Wait...does that mean that he'll no longer be the guardian of the Truffala Tree Forest?!"

"Hmm, I haven't really thought about that," Cat muttered to himself.

"I highly doubt that Guy is supposed to be the guardian of anything since the Lorax gave him the power before he passed away," Grinch theorized. "He may die physically but he doesn't die spiritually. Guardians don't die spiritually."

Cat took his hat off and reached down in it without the group noticing.

"Do you even know how to make the gold chemical?" E.B uttered as Grinch pondered for a second.

"Well--no, no...I studied chemistry but I hadn't tested the elements yet," Grinch answered.

"Do you think that's what's inside of that box the Lorax was talking about?" Guy predicted. "Maybe it's the gold chemical."

"Too bad we didn't search for it in the castle," Grinch said this with a deep sigh.

"Do you mean that we have to go back?" E.B probed.

"I'm afraid so," Grinch replied grimly.

Cat smirked at his group while reaching for something in his hat. "Or maybe...we don't have to go back to the castle."

The group turned to him just in time to witness Cat pulling the gray box out of his hat with a victorious laugh.

"Haha! Got it!"

Everyone had their eyes widened in complete shock.

"What? You didn't know my hat can be a portal too, hm?" Cat replied with a sly grin.

"You son of a yip," Grinch responded in awe.

Cat chuckled teasingly. "Ooh, did you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Grinch arched a brow. "I don't have a mother."

"Oh...sorry."

"That's okay."

Cat lockpicked the box that they were supposed to steal and opened it. It revealed two rows of gold chemicals that were supposed to help Guy.

"That's it. That's the ticket," Grinch pointed out. He then looked at Guy. "We're going to have to put this inside of you. Are you going to be okay with that?"

Guy stared at the golden chemical. He then closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. "The beast inside of me is going to become more powerful if we waste time. Let's get this over with."

Grinch nodded his head in understanding. "Alright. To warn you...it will require--"

"Whatever it requires, I'm willing to take," Guy said this with determination in his voice.

Grinch nodded again. "Alright. There's a machine that will quicken the process of spreading the gold chemicals inside of you by speed but you have to fall asleep and be inside of your head."

"Fine. I'm fine with that."

~.~

Grinch escorted Guy down the basement as E.B held Karlos's fishbowl and followed them along with Cat, Max, and Mr. Jenkins. They strolled past the x-ray as Grinch opened a secret door behind the wall to reveal a tube with a cold metal surface to lay down on and leather straps to hold someone in place. Guy had his eyes widened while remembering what happened back at the castle. Being strapped down in a machine while crying out in pain and then felt nothing after that. As much as Guy wouldn't want to relive it...he's sure that this time...he'll feel something other than pain.

He laid down on the metal table while Cat opened the box he brought with him downstairs and took out the gold chemicals. Grinch set up the machine as he walked over to Guy.

"This machine won't be like the one the cultists put you through. You'll still feel pain but...it's not going to last," Grinch reassured Guy with a small soft smile.

Cat handed the golden chemicals to Grinch as Grinch stuck them into a slot where it will inject into Guy's arm.

Guy laid back calmly as Grinch warily strapped his wrists and ankles. Guy shifted a bit uncomfortable while staring up at the ceiling. He could feel the needles poking his skin slightly as Grinch walked back over to him.

"Are you ready?" Grinch asked as Guy gazed at E.B, who's giving him a worried look on her face while holding the fishbowl tightly.

"I'll be okay," Guy whispered to her, calming her down a bit. He then stared up at the ceiling. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Grinch nodded his head in understanding as he shifted his focus on his dog friend. "Max."

Max whimpered nervously but he hopped onto the controls and pushed down the right levers to inject the golden chemical into his arm. Guy screwed his eyes tightly with clenched teeth as the tube slowly encapsulated him. Grinch went towards the controls while the rest of the group watched anxiously.

He turned on the machine as he moved the wheel slowly to quicken the process of having the golden chemicals spread.

"Ten percent," Grinch muttered underneath his breath.

~.~

_Guy's Dream:_

There was nothing. Nothing but darkness.

Guy snapped his eyes open, realizing that he's sitting on a green couch in the lounge room and holding his briefcase so close to his chest. He recognized this place...this place where he waited anxiously to present his inventions to the Glurfsburg judges. He opened his briefcase to find that it held a handle of a sword. He picked it up with curiosity in his gaze as the sword lit up in his grasp. In awe, Guy abandoned his briefcase and held his golden sword tightly in his grip. He walked through the door to see the long hallway towards the door on the other side with desks on each side for the pencil pushers and bean counters and weeds overgrowing around him.

As he was walking through the hallway, Guy saw that each step he took brightened the room with the roses that choked out the weeds and blue and purple tulips blossoming around him. Butterflies with their wings in beautiful rainbow colors fluttered all around the hallway around him. It's a beautiful sight to behold with Guy smiling in absolute awe and wonder.

Guy approached the door, hearing growling sounds from the other side. Taking in a deep breath in and out, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Inside of the supposed judges' room, there's a throne chair with weeds thick as metal chains. A figure sat on the dark throne, deadly red eyes stared into his glowing ones.

Guy knew who it was sitting on the throne.

"I see that you came out of your cell," the dark other Guy uttered, his fur ash-color and hat crumpled ten times more than his.

"This ends now," Guy growled at his evil self. "You hurt them, I won't let you hurt them again." Guy held the sword up against his evil self's chin, ready to end it all since now he's chained up by the purple chains holding him down on his throne.

"We hurt them, Guy," his evil self uttered while lifting his head up to avoid the tip of the sword threatening to slice him through his ash fur.

"No, you're the one who locked me up in the cell, killed my friend, and hurt my other friends!" Guy's eyes glowed in rage as more light peered through the room they were in. The purple flowers bloomed throughout the room and stopped right in front of the chains. "I won't let you control me again!"

"You're making a mistake, Guy." His evil self began to transform with chains holding him tightly. His fur became bloody red with red eyes glowing, growing bigger than Guy himself. Guy began to breathe heavily while clenching his jaw and his sword tightly. The beast glared into Guy's glowing eyes with a crooked smile that showed off his canines. "Are you sure you want to fight me? You know you'll fail. I'm a success and you're a failure. You know you can't succeed without me."

A gasp escaped from Guy's lips but his eyes narrowed at his evil self. "That's not true. I've already succeeded with my friends...with my family.,,with love. And all of it is without you!"

The beast growled at Guy while it roared in rage and broke through the chains. He swiped its paw at Guy and Guy ducked his head but wasn't quick enough to dodge the beast's punch in the gut. He flew back through the hallway where he came from. He tumbled back against the door on the other side, his sword sliding beside him.

Guy quickly grabbed it as he noticed the beast charged through the walls on the other side of the hallway. He breathed heavily as he stood up on his feet, gripping on the golden sword tightly.

"Are seriously considering those renegades as a family?! Those Outsiders as a success even when they failed you?!"

"YES! I love them and they love me!" Guy barked back at his beast self while charging towards him. He slashed his sword and cut the creature's arm with just a scratch but it stung the beast. The beast howled in pain as he grabbed Guy and thrusted him away. Guy dove through the darkness as light followed after him.

He ended up rolling on top of the wooden table with all the papers and pictures of Sam's face with many identities fluttering around him in the small interrogation room. With a groan, Guy got up from the floor and immediately realized where he was. It's that small interrogation room in Meepville...where he found about Sam's past and his anger boiling over when Sam arrived just to get him out. The harmful words that he spoke about Sam's mother...the things that he regretted in that room. There's Sam's favorite food squashed and splattered across from him by the door.

The beast barged through the door with a growl. Guy narrowed his brows while he gritted teeth.

"Why can't you see the failures you'd endure with him?!" The beast yelled while lifting the table off of the floor and flipped it over, causing Guy to duck down. The papers with Sam's identities surrounded him with all the same faces but different outfits. Guy gazed around the pictures, naming each one that Sam had to pretend.

_Nobody's ever...ever wanted me to stay the same..._

"I want you to stay the same, Sam," Guy muttered underneath his breath to the papers around him while glaring up at the beast and holding onto the sword tight in his grasp. "Have you ever heard of forgiveness?!"

The beast laughed. "You are so weak! Just like your friends!"

Guy narrowed his brows as he leaped towards the beast and swiped his golden sword at him. The beast snarled and defended himself with his horns that he grew on his head. Both of them growled at each other as the beast grabbed Guy by the hips and charged through the wall, revealing the next room to be the living room of the cabin.

Guy threw the beast out the window, the glass breaking when the beast tumbled through it and out into the open green forest. He saw the sun and got up on his feet. Then...he saw Michellee laughing and smiling while Sam and E.B were playing with Mr. Jenkins with joy down the hallway. A smile grew on his glowing face, seeing them like this just made tears edged out of his eyes. If only it could go back to that or for it to last longer. The beast pounced back through the window, snapping Guy out of his thought and was unknowingly growing stronger when he thought about his loved ones.

He pinned the beast against the wall while having him look at Michellee, E.B, Sam, and Mr. Jenkins.

"Look at them!" Guy barked while the beast tried to struggle out of his hold hopelessly. "Take a good look at them!"

The beast glanced at Michellee, E.B, Sam, and Mr. Jenkins laughing together.

"You called this weakness! I call that joy! I never felt this way until that very moment!" Guy shouted at the beast. "You really want to take that away...you really want to take away to get what we already have?"

The beast growled while grabbing Guy by the hip and pounded him through the wooden wall, having him fall through the side of the building that he seemed to recognize as the jail...where Sam begged him to let go and take a leap of faith. Guy closed his eyes as he fell through an unknown portal beneath him that took him into the train...more specifically, the Quiet Cart.

Guy got up from the floor and looked around him to see the weeds that slowly died off in front of his presence. It's in full brightness with him smiling at the moment where his bond grew with Michellee. Where they began to fall in love--even though, they were not sure how the other would feel. Suddenly, he heard rumbling and the train started to shake all around him like an earthquake. He saw ahead of him that the beast was charging towards him. Without thinking, he plunged the sword onto the wooden floor...causing a golden explosion. The beast was immediately flown back as everything glow all around him, causing him to close his eyes.

It's blinding at first until the light began to dim slightly. As Guy opened his eyes and readjusted to the light, he saw Stovepipe again, bright and beautiful. He saw the beast, convulsing onto the floor while no darkness came out of him. The beast slowly shrank back to the evil side of Guy except his fur was coal black and his hat was burnt to the crisp. He stood up on his feet, his red eyes glaring into Guy's golden ones.

"You...You imbecile...you think you can kill me. You can't...I'm always going to be a part of you. I will never leave you and I will make sure that you--"

A blue-lit sword impaled the other evil Guy through the chest from behind. Guy had his eyes widened...not expecting someone else to be here with him. When the evil Guy collapsed onto the floor, it revealed to be the Lorax standing behind him with the blue sword. He pulled the sword back while furrowing his brows.

"That's payback," Lorax growled lowly at the evil version of Guy. He glanced up softly at Guy with a small smile. "Hey."

"Hey...aren't you--?"

"Physically yes...not spiritually. I'm inside of you just to give you a nudge to fight that evil side of yours...turns out that you won't need me anymore," Lorax explained with a simple shrug and grin.

Guy smiled softly at him. "What about the Truffala Tree Forest? Will it--?"

"It only decays for a little bit. I'm going back to it. I promised someone that I'll come back," Lorax responded while his body began to glow brighter than Guy as if he's ready to disappear into the golden light.

"Will you ever come back to us?"

"Maybe not physically...but I will be in your dreams whenever you want to talk. Oh, and take care of him," Lorax demanded while pointing at the evil version of Guy groaning in pain.

Guy smirked. "With pleasure. Will he die if I kill him?"

"No. He'll always be a part of you...but now it's up to you whether you will let him take control or not."

Guy pondered for a bit as the Lorax disappeared into thin air, dropping the blue sword that formed slowly into a truffala tree with blue tufts growing up in the middle of the street in Stovepipe Junction.

Guy glared at his evil side of him and approached him. The golden sword touched the evil Guy's chin as Guy narrowed his brows at him.

"This ends now," Guy uttered as he plunged his sword into the evil version of himself, causing him to glow from within.

"No! You're making a mistake! You're making a mistake!!!"

Everything brightened up all around, causing Guy to close his eyes.

_90%_

Peace flowed through his body as his evil side was turned into dust in his sword.

_95%_

The passing whispers went by, disappearing in the bright glow. He knew now that he's waking up...waking up back to reality.

_100%_

~.~

_Reality:_

_"We're at a full 100%!"_

_"Is he going to be okay?!"_

_"Let's hope so!"_

Guy heard something opening up as he fluttered his eyes opened. Everything was bright, he couldn't see anything...anything at all.

"Dad," he heard a familiar voice called out to him as he saw a young familiar girl's face peeking over at him with worry and a chickeraffe panting excitedly.

"E.B? Mr. Jenkins?" Guy recognized as the chickeraffe warbled excitedly and licked Guy in the face, causing him to laugh and stroke the chickeraffe's head. "Haha, I miss you too, buddy."

E.B smiled ecstatically as she hugged him and buried her face into his ruff. He hugged her back tightly while snuggling his head against hers.

"Are you okay?" E.B asked him as she looked at his face while his vision cleared.

Guy nodded his head with a small smile. "I'm alright, kiddo."

Cat approached behind her and Mr. Jenkins with Karlos's fishbowl on top of his hat. Cat bit his bottom lips while wiggling his brows. "REJOICE! Death is not the end!"

Grinch furrowed his brow and then glanced back at Guy, who didn't even react to that phrase.

"What?" Guy replied while arching a brow.

Cat smiled happily. "OH MY GOSH!!! It worked! It worked!" He bounced all around them while hugging Guy for a moment and then danced around Grinch and twirling around the green what, who just smiled proudly at his work.

"He did it," Grinch muttered to himself.

"THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE!!!! Take that you stupid Gatherers of the Whispers!" Cat shouted with pride as Guy was instantly reminded of his other friends.

"We still have to face those guys and rescue our friends," Guy pointed out to the rest of the group.

"Logically, we wouldn't be able to just waltz on in there and get our friends out of there. There's no way we could fight the army with just us against a huge army of robots, men, and assassins," Karlos pointed out from his fishbowl.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be just us," Guy uttered the idea. "I know that there are people out there that would want to fight back against the cultists."

~.~

Grinch gathered up all the whos in Whoville to build sleds with all kinds of machinery. Guy was fixing up one of the sleds which Grinch guided him on how to build it without having it explode in mid-air while Max helped the little girl fetch tools in case they're too heavy for her. The toddler-size little girl with blonde hair, pink dress, and tanned fur walked daintily with a hammer in her grasp.

Grinch grinned at her gently and received the hammer. "Thank you, Cindy Lou."

Cindy Lou smiled brightly at Grinch.

Cat worked on the other sled with E.B and Mr. Jenkins. Jonathan, Greta, and the rest of the villagers worked on each sled and creating catapults to launch giant snowballs into the fort that they will invade.

From a distance, the whos, Guy, Grinch, Cat, E.B, Mr. Jenkins, Karlos, and Max noticed The Super Axe Hackers driving through the snow with the Oncelor driving on one of them with a smile on his face. Dave and Jeffrey waved to their brother from the other Super Axe Hackers as Guy grinned excitedly and waved at them back. Then, from a different direction, Jane, the purple kangaroo with her son in her pouch, Horton, Morton, and the purple monkeys marching towards them. A vehicle suddenly appeared behind the Super Axe Hatchers and two familiar yellow-furred couple got out of the car. 

"We heard about our daughter being taken by the cultists on the news," the man with a bushy brown mustache implied while getting out of his rifle.

"Who are you?" Cat asked with an arched brow.

"Ted. My wife, Nancy. We're Gluntz's parents," Ted answered as Guy widened his eyes in shock. 

"Gluntz's parents?" Guy probed.

"Yep," Nancy clarified with a small smile. 

Guy arched a brow to wonder how everyone else besides the whos knew about what's going on.

"The Lorax told us everything that's going on," Oncelor explained and then glanced at Jane. 

"He told us to meet here," Horton, the elephant, added excitedly while holding his pink flower with a small speck on top.

"Wait...how did you guys convince the monkeys to join you?" Guy asked Jane, Horton, and Morton.

"Hi!" The squeaky voice from the speck shouted. 

"They heard the Mayor and...well, all the devices were broken because of it," Morton replied awkwardly. 

"All it matters that we're all here and we're all here to fight those cultists," Jane responded firmly while the monkeys hooted while straightening their stances like soldiers ready to give their lives for their loved ones. 

"Do you have a plan, Guy?" Ted asked with wonder in his voice while seated in the Super Axe Hackers.

"Yeah!" Audrey added, sitting next to him. 

Guy noticed everyone looking at him with eagerness in their faces. Guy's heart dropped suddenly, realizing that he'll be the one leading the battle. But this didn't scare as it would normally. Instead...it made him more confident in himself than he had ever been in his whole life. 

"I got a plan...but I need everyone's help in this," Guy replied while everyone around him nodded his head. 

~.~

Sam, with his small body all bruised up from fighting back against the cultists, was strapped down onto the metal table. His red hat had definitely seen better days with its dirt splashed on it and burnt marks. He's on the wooden stage within a small fortified town known as Fort Dunstan...ready to live his final moment in front of the crowd of people who just stared at him blankly.

The walls surrounded the city with a towering building in the center, right behind where Sam was at. The houses and the shops were all the same with dark wood and the whispers were on the speakers all around the town though they were incoherent.

"Let him go! You can kill me! But don't you dare touch him!" Sam could hear his own father screaming from the sidelines. This brought tears to his eyes to receive the parental love that he craved for so long...but it's too bad that he won't get out of this mess.

"Don't hurt him!" Sam turned his head to notice Gabriella sobbing in utter tears while thrashing her body against the cage that held her and Stan, Sam's father. Along within the other cages, Michellee and McWinkle shared one, Gluntz and Louis were stuck together in the other one, Michael was in the cage by himself with Jean perched on his head, and Goat and Vicky shared a cage evidently.

When Sam shifted his sight back out to the audience, he saw the cold-blooded white fur man known as Magnus Stanley, edging a crooked smile at him.

"These Outsiders are nothing more than just imposters!" Magnus Stanley announced to the group of cultists. "They're interfering with our dominance by disguising themselves as a part of us and acting as though they want what we want. But what they want does not align with what we want. We want the world to be reformed, to be cleansed. They want the world to be the same...the same disgusting place!"

"Oh, shut up with your preaching!" Goat barked at Magnus, his brows furrowed with fury.

Vicky clenched her teeth tightly. "Atticus--"

Magnus heard Goat with a chuckle as he turned to him and Vicky and ambled towards them. "Your stubbornness will have its consequences. Soon, you'll see."

When Magnus got close to the cage where Goat and Vicky were in, he cornered a crooked smirk. "But there's a chance for all of you. You can be saved if you choose to join us. Because once the whispers talk to you, they will never get out of your head...not even when you're dead."

Goat spat on his face while gritting his teeth with aggression. "I rather die than join lunatics like you."

Magnus wiped the spit off of his face with a grimace. "As you wish. You're next after Sam."

He turned away from Goat and Vicky while rage boiled up in everyone in the cages.

"Let their justice be served!" Magnus called out as he signaled one of the men behind to flip the switch to electrocute Sam.

"NO!" Michellee, Gabriella, and Michael cried out simultaneously.

"You son of a yip!" McWinkle cursed at Magnus.

"You're dead meat!" Goat threatened while throwing his body against the cage.

"Coward! You're coward!" Jean gnashed his teeth with rage.

"Get away from him!" Gluntz yelled while trying to reach out of the cage.

Louis narrowed his brows in fits of anger. "Don't you dare!"

"No! Don't hurt my son!" Stan cried with tears streaming down his cheeks.

The cultist had his gloved hands ready on the lever to flip on the switch while everyone in cages was crying out for them to stop.

"STOP!!!" They heard a familiar voice shouting from behind the crowd. They all turned to look out through the audience as the cultists turned to form an opening to reveal that it was Guy, standing behind the crowd with handcuffs and three hooded 'guards' escorting him harshly. The two were with him while the other one was following close behind them.

"We found this Outsider outside of our gates!" One of the 'guards' stated with a growl.

Magnus cornered a sly smile. "Bring him to me."

He signaled the cultist to not touch the lever yet as the 'guards' gripped on Guy's shoulders and escorted him through the crowd full of different colored pale-furred people with pale eyes staring at them blankly and emotionless. A lump went down on Guy's throat as he whispered to the two of the 'guards'.

"When we get close, push me onto my knees. It has to look harsh," Guy whispered.

"Alrighty then," the 'guard' answered with a whimsical hushed tone.

"Whatever you say," an elderly voice replied as they got close to the stage. However, when they were close to the stage, the two 'guards' pushed Guy harshly onto the ground, causing him to grunt in silence.

_"Not that hard, guys."_

The 'guards' had their teeth clenched. _"Sorry."_

Magnus smiled at them. "Perfect. You three are excused."

The guards bowed their heads and walked off in a different direction. However, Gabriella noticed something odd about the one guard...he had a black tail with the white end sticking out of the cloak. Instantly, she recognized the guard while covering her agape mouth with both hands as to not scream out her father's name and tears of joy shimmering in her eyes.

Magnus and Guy locked gazes at each other.

"You came," Magnus uttered while Sam watched helplessly from the metal table.

"Yes, I did," Guy answered with a firm nod.

"What made you come back? Your little followers?" Magnus snarled while referring to his family in the cage.

"The whispers," Guy responded with his brows drawn together.

Everyone in the cages stared at him wide-eyed as Magnus chuckled humorlessly.

"The whispers? They told you to come back here because--"

"To join," Guy uttered. "But...if you want me to join you guys...you must uphold something for me first."

"Uphold something for you?"

"Yes."

"Alright...what do you want us to uphold?"

Guy gazed at his family lovingly as he breathed in and out deeply. "I will join you if you promise me that you'll never touch these people ever again. You stay as far away from them as you can forever. If you have any control of me, do not let me come near them or let my hands stained with their blood ever. You never touch those people ever again."

Magnus pondered for a moment. "That sounded a bit one-sided. Don't you think?"

"You get to have me and conquer the world, just the way you want it. But you can't touch them."

"And what makes you think that they won't rebel and get you back?" Magnus snarled at Guy.

"They won't," Guy uttered, shocking the group more. "They'll leave peacefully and they will never bother you ever if you don't bother them."

Magnus began to laugh heartlessly at Guy's deal. "They're just as stubborn as you are. How about I'll make you a better deal? If you can convince them to join us, then they will not be harmed. However, if you can't...well...that's the loss that you must bear."

"You're a sick son of a--!"

"Goat!" Guy barked at Goat, silencing him. "You have to...please. They are only trying to reform the world."

_"Just pretend to say yes."_

A thought came across Goat's head when he suddenly realized that Guy was talking to him through his mind.

 _"Wait...you can read and talk to me in my mind?"_ Goat asked in his thoughts.

"They won't hurt you," Guy continued to ramble on as if he's convincing them to join. "Just surrender to them and they will give you life."

 _"Yes. I'm talking to all of you right now. Just pretend to say yes. They'll let you go if you do."_ Guy spoke from his thoughts as Goat glanced around everyone else in the group to realize that they were hearing the same thing. _"Just trust me."_

Sam took a deep breath. "I believe you, buddy."

Magnus turned to Sam in shock.

"I'll join the Gatherers of the Whispers," Sam finished his thought with a small smile. Guy nodded his head slightly.

Michellee pondered for a moment, thinking of all the risks that were right in front of her but Guy gazed at her gently.

_"It's okay, honey. I promise I won't let them hurt you. I won't let them use me to hurt any of you again. I love you."_

Michellee took a deep breath as she glanced up at Magnus. "I'll join you too. It'll...be a pleasure to hear the whispers."

"Yeah. Yeah," Gabriella replied while nodding her head. "I will join."

Stan and Gabriella gave each other brief glances as he shifted his gaze up at Guy.

_"I won't let them hurt you again, Stan. You have my word."_

"I will be the instrument of destruction," Stan uttered, unsure with himself.

McWinkle nodded his head slowly. "I surrender."

"I surrender," Gluntz remarked while breathing anxiously.

"So do I," Louis stated hesitantly.

Meanwhile, while everyone was 'pledging' to join the Whisperers, the three 'guards' took off their disguises to reveal Cat, Grinch, and the Oncelor.

Cat took out his hat and create a huge portal behind the house they were hiding at. "Alright, fellas, it's showtime."

The super ax hackers roamed out of the portal and drove discreetly through the small town with Dave, Jeffrey, Ted Gluntz, Ted Wiggins, and Nora Wiggins driving them. Grinch and Cat watched as the Oncelor entered the portal and drove out his own super ax hacker. Then, Nancy Gluntz, Audrey, her parents, Ms. Wiggins, and other few villagers from Thneedville came out of the portal, armed and ready to fight the cultists. E.B rode on Mr. Jenkins and held Karlos's fishbowl while Mr. Jenkins tiptoed out of the portal with Max trailing behind them.

"Is that all?" Grinch asked Cat.

Cat looked into the portal to see no one else was there. "Nope." He closed it as E.B, Mr. Jenkins, Max, and Karlos approached him. He handed E.B a flare gun. "Send the signal once the others are out of the city. Make sure you point it towards the sky."

Grinch watched the event unfold as everyone in the cages said their devotion to the whispers.

Guy looked back at Magnus, who seemed shocked by their change of attitude. "Now they are devoted to our cause, you will let them go."

Magnus chuckled slightly. "I'm impressed that your little followers are now converted." He signaled the cultists to unlock the cages. They seemed hesitant at first until they nodded their heads in reverence and obedience and unlocked the cages to let them out. They cut the straps off of Sam as he slid down the metal table.

"Sam!" Gabriella called as she ran to him and hugged him tightly.

He hugged her back, burying his face into her brown hair. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

Stan limped towards his son while nuzzling his head against Sam's. "You're okay, son."

"You still need to give devotion to the whispers. The family reunion will come later," Magnus coldly implied as they heard something drilling from the other side of the city. "What the--?"

The crowd turned their heads to see what the commotion was. Magnus drew his brows together. 

"My people! Hide yourselves! The Whispers will protect you!" Magnus growled the order as the people scattered back to their homes as he signaled more of the hooded assassins who were soldiers along with robots. "Kill whatever is lurking over there!"

The robots and the hooded soldiers headed to where the commotion was at. Magnus signaled other men and glanced at them. "Watch over the NewBloods."

Magnus left swiftly towards the building as the men apprehended them as Guy just used his mind powers to knock them out. The group was left in shock as Guy got out of his handcuffs easily by pulling his hands through and dropping it.

"Come with me," Guy whispered to his family and friends as he guided them towards the side door that led them into the forest surrounding Fort Dunstan. "Here's what you got to do. You got to go up that hill, make a right, and keep going that direction until you bump into our allies."

"You're not coming with us?" Sam asked in concern.

Guy looked back at the small fortified town and then back at his friends, more specifically, at Sam. "No, Sam. But I'll be okay, though."

"What if they turned you into that beast again?" McWinkle cautioned as he subconsciously caressing his missing eye that was replaced with a white bandage that played as an eyepatch.

"They won't. That evil stuff is gone now," Guy reassured them with a warm smile.

"What? How--?"

"It's a long story," Guy interrupted Vicky's question. "You guys get going before that Magnus guy comes back."

"Wait, I'm not leaving without you," Sam replied with stubbornness. "We're a team, remember? Dream team?"

Guy smiled warmly. "I know...and we are. When you bump into our allies, you'll get the instructions on what to do next."

Goat furrowed his brow. "Who the yip is our ally?"

Guy smirked at Goat. "You'll see."

He headed back into the town as the group did as they were instructed.

~.~

The robots and the men marched towards the commotion as Oncelor and Nora saw them from their super ax hackers. He did notice Dave and Jeffrey almost have done with destroying the building with a bunch of speakers...which they all could assume that it held the communications with the allies outside of the fort. Ted Gluntz and Ted Wiggins drove the super ax hackers into the building with the speakers on the other side of the small town to destroy all communications from the outside world.

When the robots and the hooded soldiers approached Dave and Jeffrey with guns aimed at them, Oncelor and Nora drove their hackers into them while using the axes attached to the machines to slice up the men and the robots standing in their way.

More soldiers were alerted when they saw a flare fired up towards the sky, which was surprisingly shot by E.B.

Cat created a portal for the Grinch to go through to get back to the Whos.

"Great job, E.B," Grinch applauded as E.B had her brows raised.

"What do we do now?" she asked as Karlos popped out of the fishbowl that's in her grasp.

"Yeah," Karlos concurred as Grinch pondered for a second.

"Want a ride in my sleigh?" Grinch offered E.B, who gave an excited smile at him.

"That sounds fun!" E.B said with excitement.

"Come on then," Grinch urged as he went through the portal with E.B, Max, Mr. Jenkins, and Karlos following him. Cat closed the portal while taking out his shotgun to help Oncelor and his people.

Meanwhile, Jane had her binoculars with a smirk on her face when she saw the flare.

"Ready!" Jane yelled to Jonathan, who's lined up with the Whos that had their catapults filled with the snowballs at the ready.

"Aim!" Jonathan shouted as the whos aimed the catapults and pulled back the sling that will launch the snowballs into the town.

"FIRE!" Rudy declared while popping out of Jane's pouch, surprising the mother kangaroo.

The Whos from cheery Whoville released the sling and fired the snowballs up in the air. The snowballs flew through the sky and over the fortified wall surrounding the small town. The snowballs broke to reveal the whos, armed with guns, inside. Before the soldiers and the cultists take action, they fired their guns at them while more soldiers were called out into the field.

Ms. Wiggins, Audrey, her parents, a few people in Thneedville, and Nancy helped the whos with fighting more soldiers by taking out the ones that were on the walls, guarding their positions.

Jane gathered most of the monkeys and the whos with Horton by her side and Morton perching on top of his head, facing the small castle. Some other monkeys had their banana peels rolled up in a giant ball and covered in tar to set it on fire and aimed it towards the walls.

Jane picked Rudy out of her pouch, who looked confused. "I need you to stay out here."

"Why?"

"This is a dangerous battle and I don't want you to be in the middle of it," Jane warned her son as the monkeys approached them. "Stay with the monkeys and help fire the catapults."

Jane turned away from her son as she stood along with the army of monkeys and the Whos from Whoville. They saw the rustling of the bushes approaching them as it revealed to be Sam, Gabriella, McWinkle, Michellee, Stan, Gluntz, Louis, Goat, Michael, Jean, and Vicky coming out of the bushes with shocked glances at them.

"Jane?!" Goat instantly recognized with his jaw dropped.

Jane smirked at Goat. "What? You think I wouldn't join."

"I thought that you're going to get yourself killed without us knowing it," Goat uttered, tilting his head. "Wait, how were you guys able to convince the monkeys to join you guys?"

"Hi!" The squeaky voice from the speck on top of the flower Horton was holding spoke again.

"It's a long story," Horton replied with a nervous chuckle.

Grinch strode through the crowd and noticed Stan standing by Sam and Gabriella.

"Stan!" Grinch called as he revealed a present to give to Stan. "Merry early Christmas."

"What is it?" Stan asked with a brow raised.

"Open it."

"I can't." Stan showed the Grinch that he had no arms.

"Oh...sorry," Grinch uttered as he opened the present for Stan to reveal two metal arms that won't be so easily ripped off.

Stan's eyes trembled as Grinch put it on him quickly.

"There. Now you have arms," Grinch replied with a soft smile.

Tears edged out of Stan's eyes, examining his new arms to see that they're hands that he could fiddle his fingers and grab something that doesn't have to be a claw. "It's not...anything dangerous."

"I mean, I could put something more--"

"No. This is perfect." Stan hugged Grinch, who felt awkward hugging the man he barely knew and trying to help. "Thank you."

Grinch giggled nervously as they both dispersed from each other. "It's not a problem. I thought I would give you some arms before we marched down the field. It took a bit longer than I expected but I was able to finish just in time before we got here."

Michellee looked around the crowd anxiously. "Where's E.B?"

"Hi, Mom!" E.B shouted from the sleigh behind the army while Mr. Jenkins popped his head up behind her and Max barking happily.

"E.B, what are you doing up there?!" Michellee gasped.

"I'm helping the Grinch with the sleigh!" E.B responded excitedly.

Grinch laughed nervously. "Gotta go!"

He quickly went back to the sleigh as the group found more sleighs at the ready to fly.

Jane looked to the group. "We're going to storm through the doors and fight every cultist that tries to kill us. Are you guys up for it?"

"Heck yeah," Goat responded with a determined nod. Everyone else nodded in agreement except Michellee. She took a moment to ponder and then took a deep breath.

"Yeah," Michellee responded with a nod as the monkeys handed them guns and swords to fight with. They all faced the fortified town with glares ahead of them.

"CHARGE!!!" Jane declared as everyone in the front lines sprinted down the slopes with their weapons raised high and their battle cry heard from the distance. The fury in their eyes glowed brighter as Horton and Goliath, the huge ape, was the first to at the door, They charged through the doors as the cultists called to arms with one another and began to shoot at the monkeys coming at them fast, missing some while hitting the others. Goat took out his automatic rifle and pulled the trigger, firing at the cultists shooting him and his friends.

Sam, Stan Gabriella, and Michellee worked together to take out the cultists that were coming out from the darkness while Vicky and Michael were able to attack the robots that were trying to kill them and the monkeys behind them. The whos helped too by fighting back. While they were fighting, the large balls of banana peels that were on fire flew over the walls and hit the spots where the cultists were grouped in the fortified town. McWinkle, Louis, and Gluntz fought alongside Jane, Horton, and the monkeys with their guns and their swords. Morton and Jean scurried into the clothes of the cultists and took them out from biting them harshly and pitter-patter all over them except Morton did quicker than Jean.

Cat joined in the fight too while firing his shotgun at anyone who would dare come near his daughter. When the bullets flew and hit the cultist about to attack Gabriella, she turned to look up at Cat with a tearful smile on her face.

"DAD!" Gabriella cried out while running up to him and hugging him.

Cat lifted her short body up and twirled her around with a hug and his face buried in her shoulder.

"How did you survive?" Gabriella sobbed while wiping away her tears of joy.

Cat pulled the fake fur that he had been wearing to reveal a bulletproof vest underneath. "Gotta wear one on every occasion."

Gabriella laughed as she hugged him again. "Oh, Dad."

Sam, Stan, and Michellee approached Gabriella and Cat.

"Cat! You're alive!" Michellee replied happily.

Cat winked at her. "Yes, I am, Chellee."

Sam looked around the destroyed town full of fighting people. "Where's Guy?"

Cat shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't seen him."

Stan widened his eyes as he bolted towards the building.

Sam arched a brow. "Dad?"

More fireballs landed into the town, shaking the ground underneath them as sleighs were seen flying over the town and shooting down the flying aircrafts the cultists began to take out.

"Come on, we got to keep going!" Cat urged the group as they went back to firing their bullets at the incoming cultists.

~.~

Magnus Stanley began to tremble the more he heard bullets firing outside of the building he's stumbling through. He's on the twentieth floor and he reached his office that was on the left across the windows. The sun did not make an appearance behind the heavy set of gray clouds. He barged into his office and shut the door quickly, panting. Becoming more nervous about the chaos ensuing outside, he called on the microphone but the line went busy.

"Hello? I need more backup," Magnus uttered in panic but the line was busy. He could guess that one of Guy's 'followers' destroyed the communications outside of this fort. He's stuck here until this battle was over. Body shaking, the whispers were louder in his ears. He covered his ears and began to let streaks of tears down his cheeks.

The door was prompted open but he didn't bother to turn around to see who it was.

"Are you seriously hiding in your office?" He heard a familiar voice scoffing at him. Although, Magnus already knew who the voice was.

"And you came all this way to find me," Magnus uttered while wiping his tears away and turning his head to reveal blood dripping from his eyes that seemed to shock the familiar Knox standing at the doorway. "Are you here to kill me, Guy?"

Guy narrowed his brows. "I'm here to end this fear and this religion of yours once and for all."

Magnus scoffed and laughed at Guy's determination. "Don't you want to succeed? Don't you want to find yourself finally not failing?"

Guy growled a bit. "I've already succeeded in breaking into your fortified town and gathered a revolution against you. We're done surrendering to you. Now it's your turn to surrender to us. Surrender this religion and burn all of those golden books that showed ungodly things to ashes. This is not right and you know it along with those people who are out there fighting and dying for you and your whispers."

There's a pause as Guy turned on the lights in the office to see blood all around Magnus's head as Magnus stared back at him with bloodshot eyes.

"We-We-We are nothing with the whispers," Magnus whimpered as he pulled out his handgun, which didn't cause Guy to flinch.

"No...you're wrong. The whispers don't tell you who you are. You are who you choose to be. You have a choice to get out of this, Magnus," Guy uttered softly, not ready to fight him yet. But he didn't step close to Magnus to comfort him. "It's up to you whether you'll take it or not. You're the Influencer. You have to tell these people to stop fighting and stop listening to those whispers. Take out those earplugs, put down the mask, and live. You, along with everyone else, have a reason to live. That's why we're fighting back. You're trying to take away our right to live...so, we're getting it back."

Magnus tilted his head while shaking his head. "Influencer? Me?"

"Yes, who else would it be?" Guy asked with an arched brow.

Before Magnus could utter a sentence, an explosion erupted in the office pushing Guy back against the glass windows and breaking through them. He grabbed onto the ledge while he looked out over the castle walls. He saw more tanks, cultists, and bombs coming towards the fortified building with the aircraft flying through the air.

Guy breathed heavily as he climbed up towards the floor as Magnus was laying in his office, his face contorted in an ugly shape. He stood up and looked over Magnus's burnt body, who's barely breathing audibly.

"I'm...sorry," Magnus uttered. "This...this is not what...what I was expecting."

Before Guy could think of healing him, Magnus's last breath was drawn out. Guy blinked for a few moments before hearing someone coming up from behind him. He turned to notice Stan staring at him and then at Magnus's dead body.

"Magnus...he-he-"

"He's dead now, Stan."

"I wished he live," Stan uttered softly.

Guy arched a brow. "Why? He tortured you--"

Stan's short body trembled a bit. "Because I want to give him the same torment that he gave to me. He used the ones I love to make me submit to everything he wanted me to do. I-I know what I've done was horrible and I'll own up to my mistakes...but...Magnus was the one torturing me and drove me to the brink of insanity. I could never go to sleep without hearing his voice and my screams. I could never be at peace without at least thinking that I'll wind up back on that metal table, screaming out my wife's and my son's names. But now...Magnus gets to die in peace and I'll never sleep without hearing me scream in my dreams."

Guy put a hand on Stan's shoulder. "It will heal."

"How do you know?"

Guy paused for a moment. "I just...know that it will. It might not happen overnight but it will heal eventually."

Stan nodded his head. "O-Okay. I want to say something to you."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for being there for Samuel. I know it's hard to be a friend to someone who's used to being alone. Thank you for being his briefcase buddy."

Guy chuckled. "Yeah. It's no problem. We got to get back to the others."

"Right." They made their way out of the building while hearing more gunshots and screams from outside. 

~.~

Grinch flew the sleigh and led the army of flying sleighs with some of the Whos flying with him, E.B, Karlos, Mr.Jenkins, and Max riding on the sleigh with the Grinch. He fired at some of the cultists on the ground while dodging bullets from the cultists' aircraft.

"They're firing at us!" Karlos shouted in panic as his fishbowl was sliding from side to side.

"I see them!" Grinch shouted as he slammed his foot on the brake of his sleigh and flew back between the two aircraft shooting at them. Max barked as Grinch flipped the switches to pull out the Tommy guns installed on the sleigh.

A plush bone handle was raised up in front of Max as Grinch aimed the guns at the two planes that spiraled out of the way and turned back around to fire at the sleigh directly.

"Now, Max!" Grinch shouted as Max bit down on the plush bone handle. The bullets raved on as it took down the two jets coming towards them. "Great job, Max!"

Max barked in positive response as Grinch left his seat and turned to look at E.B.

"Want to drive?" Grinch offered as E.B smiled brightly.

"Yeah!" E.B exclaimed as she excitedly took the driver's seat and flew the sleigh. "Whoa, this feels weird! I haven't even driven a car yet!"

"Don't worry, sleighs are a lot easier, just got to land it right," Grinch explained loudly as planes came up behind them and fired the bullets at them, scaring the animals, Grinch, and E.B. "Keep it steady!" Grinch flipped the switches to pull out the guns from behind the sleigh and summoned another lever with the bone plush handle in front of Max. Then, he turned on the other switch that caused the big sack of presents within to rise behind them.

Grinch switched his glances at Mr. Jenkins. "Alright, I need your help with this...uh, Mr. Jenkins...right?"

Mr. Jenkins warbled excitedly and licked the Grinch's face, with his face filled with disgust.

"Alright, alright, save your slobbers for Guy. I already got enough slobbers from Max," Grinch referred to Max behind him as he turned to see how E.B was doing on driving the sleigh. "Okay, E.B, I'm going to need you to turn right."

"Okay," E.B responded with a nod and turned to the right, circling around the tall building in the center of the fortified town.

"Good, keep it steady," Grinch instructed as he signaled Mr. Jenkins to tilt over the sack full of presents that had bombs inside. The presents of each different color fell from the sleigh, piling up alongside the back of the building as E.B kept a steady hand.

"Alright, that should be the last of them," Grinch uttered while pulling out a remote from his pocket.

Meanwhile, Guy and Stan quickly came out of the building where the presents were placed and noticed the sleigh with the Grinch, E.B, Max, Mr. Jenkins, and Karlos on it. Michellee, Sam, Cat, and Gabriella approached them.

"Is E.B driving the sleigh?!?" Michellee screeched in panic.

"I'm sure Grinchy is making sure she's doing alright," Cat reassured her with a whimsical tone. As if it's on cue, Grinch pressed the bombs and blew up the building in the center of the town that Stan and Guy just got out of. They had their eyes widened in shock while Cat cheered them on.

"WHOO!!! NO ONE MESSES WITH THE GRINCH!!! WHOO!!!" Cat hooted with a small ecstatic laugh.

E.B looked away from her front view with a bright smile on her face. "YEAH!!!"

Michellee noticed a missile heading straight for the sleigh her daughter was driving on. "E.B!!!!"

E.B glanced ahead of her almost too late as the Grinch took over the wheel and almost dodged it with the missile destroying the back end of the sleigh completely, causing it to plummet towards the harsh ground. While in the air, Grinch was able to gather E.B, Max, Mr. Jenkins, and Karlos in a bundle and threw them away from danger before the sleigh spiraled faster towards the growl. Guy used his mind powers to teleport Mr. Jenkins, E.B, Karlos, and Max towards them.

Mr. Jenkins squawked happily as Cat noticed Grinch following off the burning sleigh. He took off his hat and threw it like a frisbee for it to create a portal underneath Grinch. A portal opened up above Cat with his arms extended out to catch the Grinch just in the nick of time. Grinch fell right onto his arms as the sleigh crashed into the building away from them. The hat dropped back onto Cat's head.

Grinch furrowed his brow while glancing up at Cat, earning a smirk from Cat.

"Hmm, you're more reckless than you think yet kinder than you would like to admit," Cat replied with a teasing smirk.

Grinch gruffed at Cat's teasing. "Put me down."

Cat dropped Grinch onto the ground while Michellee checked on her daughter for any bruises or scratches.

"Are you okay, sweetie? Are you hurt?" Michellee uttered in concern for her daughter.

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm fine," E.B groaned a bit as Guy participated in checking on her.

"You could've gotten hurt, E.B," Guy cautioned in a soft but firm tone.

"Yeah, we don't like to see any of you get hurt," Sam added with a soft smile.

"LOOK OUT!!" Karlos screamed as the others turned around to notice jets coming through the small town to fire down bullets at them. Luckily, Cat set up an invisible dome around them with his hat while the bullets just hit the dome and not at the individuals under it.

Guy looked around only to see nothing but destruction. Louis, Gluntz, and McWinkle helped alongside Oncelor, Dave, Jeffrey, and Nora while Ted Gluntz, Ted Wiggins, and a few more villagers from Thneedville joined Audrey and his mother to take out more cultists along with Nancy and Audrey's parents. Goat fought beside Jane, Horton, and the army of monkeys while Vicky, Michael, and Jean were assisting some villagers by taking out the wirings in their heads and guided them out of the burning city.

There's fire everywhere and when Guy saw the families from the small town being escorted out, he glanced down at E.B. Being so young and so naive, E.B had to watch everything burn. He wondered if she felt scared by her surroundings now.

Guy sighed deeply and then he shifted his eyes up at his lover. "Michellee, get you and E.B out of here."

The bullets rained down more, the bullets ricocheting the dome protecting them.

"What? No, I can't--"

"Please...do it for E.B," Guy uttered softly.

Michellee glanced down at E.B, who seemed confused about what's going on.

"But we're a family, Guy. We stick together," Michellee remarked.

"I know...but I can't bear to watch either of you get hurt," Guy spoke softly while stroking his lover's long hair.

"We can fight them!" E.B said this with determination. "We're so close to getting them to surrender! I can feel it!"

Guy shook his head. "I don't think they'll surrender any time, kiddo. This place is getting dangerous and hostile--"

"I don't care. I'm not leaving you behind. I'm not losing another father!" E.B blurted out with tears streaming down her face.

Guy was taken back while pondering for a moment.

"Papa," Mr. Jenkins warbled sadly.

Sam bit his tongue gently while Gabriella had her hands over her heart with a soft gaze at the child as if she sympathized with her.

Gabriella hugged E.B, who's crying into her dirty dress. "Guy will be more than okay. You won't lose him, I promise."

Bullets continued to fire down at them but they were deflected by the dome in the background.

"We have to get out of this spot. I think my dome is getting weaker," Cat softly warned the others.

When Gabriella and E.B dispersed from each other, Guy swooped in and hugged her as she held onto him.

"I love you, E.B," Guy uttered in her ear.

"I love you too, Dad," E.B sobbed into his shoulder as he dispersed away from her and lifted her chin with a soft smile. He then wiped her tears away from her face and got up on his feet. His body went through the invisible dome and sprinted to whoever was in need of help.

Sam became more determined that he followed Guy out of the dome with Mr. Jenkins trailing behind them. Cat closed the dome and pursued after them with Gabriella coming along with him.

Grinch glanced at Michellee and E.B as he got out his long candy can gun. "Get to someplace safe."

With that said, Grinch marched onward after his group with Max following him faithfully.

E.B sniffled as Michellee kissed her daughter on the head and lifted her up to carry her out of the danger in Fort Dunstan.

When she reached outside of Fort Dunstan, she set her daughter down and gave her one last kiss in the head.

"Find somewhere to hide," Michellee instructed as she left before E.B could refute. The young girl's eyes trembled as destruction became more frequent around her friends and family. Her youthful eyes could only stare wide-eyed and the tears interfered with her sight until it rolled down quickly on her cheeks. She bit her bottom lip, refusing to stay in one place.

~.~

Oncelor helped Dave and Jeffrey fight along with his super ax hacker. Dave and Jeffrey got out of their super ax hackers with their guns at the ready and pulled the triggers that sprayed bullets towards the cultists approaching them. Oncelor was about to get out of his until his seatbelt got stuck. He struggled against it with a groan while getting out a pocketknife and himself loose. By that time, the missile fired at the side of the ax hacker that it flipped it over and tumbled on top of the Oncelor, crushing his limbs.

Oncelore tried to claw his way out of the vehicle but darkness soon enclosed him and his body became lifeless after his last breath.

Dave noticed this with a gasp. "Oncelor!"

He ran up to the vehicle and barely lifted it before Guy entered the scene and used his powers to lift the vehicle as Dave and Jeffrey pulled him out of it quickly.

Guy ran up beside the Oncelor as Dave felt his pulse.

"I think he's dead," Dave uttered quietly as Guy put his hands on the Oncelor's chest.

"Not for long," Guy determined as he used his hands to heal the Oncelor. But Guy couldn't feel a heartbeat under his palm. "What? It doesn't make sense. Those evil powers are gone but I can't heal him still."

"Maybe there's a limit?" Dave suggested while arching a brow. "Like if someone is still breathing you can heal them but if they are already dead...you can't?"

"I don't know," Guy muttered while examining the Oncelor.

~.~

McWinkle, Gluntz, and Louis were fighting with the cultists with armed guns and vehicles. Ted and Nancy Gluntz joined into the fight while firing bullets at the men trying to kill them discreetly.

The three of them turned around just in time to see Ted and Nancy waving at them with small smiles.

"Mom! Dad!" Gluntz cried out while running up to them.

McWinkle smiled warmly but that smile faded when he saw a missile being fired down from the jets coming through the town at Gluntz's parents.

"Rookie, look out!" McWinkle cried out as he chased after her. The missile crashed between Gluntz's parents, resulting in an explosion that pushed her away from them. She flew into McWinkle, who caught her swiftly and took cover, using his back as a shield against the flying rocks and rubble coming their way.

Once the smoke cleared, Gluntz got out of McWinkle's hold as they both turned around to noticed Gluntz's parent's limp bodies sprawled separated from them.

Tears edged out of Gluntz's eyes and rolled down her cheeks. "NO!!!"

She ran to her parents quickly and pulled them back away from the rubble they landed on. Pressing her head against her father's chest, she's murmuring the words like she's praying for her parents to be okay. She bit her lip while her body trembled, crawling over to her mother to place her head against her chest. She couldn't hear either of their heartbeats.

More tears leaked out of Gluntz's eyes as they were no longer in sadness but in absolute rage. She gritted her teeth into a snarl and stood up on her feet.

"You son of a yip!!" Gluntz screamed out as she was about to run into the battlefield.

"Gluntz!" McWinkle called as he held her back from getting herself hurt out there.

"They killed my parents! They killed my parents!" Gluntz cried out angrily while struggling to get out McWinkle's hold.

Finally, McWinkle turned her around for her to look at him in the eyes with a hardened gaze. "Snap out of it, rookie!"

Gluntz's face softened as her tears continued to flow down to her chin.

McWinkle took a soft glance at Gluntz's parents for a moment with a sigh and then shifted his attention back to her. "They're gone, Gluntz. There's nothing you could do about it. I'm sorry."

"I-I should've protected them...I-I should've--"

McWinkle pulled her into a hug as she snuggled up to his chest. "It's not your fault."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm a hundred percent sure."

~.~

The bullets rained down on the monkeys, taking out most of them fighting with Jane and Goat. Goat gasped in shock as a missile came towardJane.

"Jane!" he heard Horton shouted, seeing the missile before the elephant leaped right in front of her. The missile pushed him over, creating a hole on his stomach where blood and guts spilled out onto the ground.

Jane gasped in shock as Morton flew off of the elephant as soon as he got hit by the missile. Morton stood up quickly while gasping in shock.

"Oh no, Horton!" Morton gasped as he scurried up to Horton, who's slowly dying.

"I-I-I'm so sorry guys," Horton uttered as he lifted his trunk to reveal a squished flower wilting right in front of them. The speck was nowhere in sight until Goat noticed it crushed underneath Horton.

Jane covered her agape mouth as her eyes widened in shock. "No."

The bullets fired down on her soon enough, with two of them plunged into her chest that caused her to fly back.

"JANE!" Goat screamed out for her name as he quickly came by her side and pressured her wound. "It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay, Jane."

Jane chuckled breathlessly. "I don't recall you being soft."

Goat stared at her with glimmering eyes that revealed his tears, which caused her to soften her gaze. He glanced back down on the wound, biting his lips to hold back the unwanted tears so hard that it bleeds. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry. About Horton, about Jack--"

"Atticus--"

"I-You can't just die. Not now, not when you have Rudy to take care of. You can't. You just...you need--"

"Atticus," Jane called softly while her hand rubbed his shoulder, getting him to look at her. "I-I forgive you...I wasn't ready for a long time but...I am now."

"J-Jane."

"I hope you find happiness now--" Jane's breaths were limited while her limbs were shaking as if she's ready to collapse.

"JANE!"

She couldn't say anymore, her eyes shut as she drew her last breath. Goat shook the tears away, trying not to cry beside her.

He looked up to see the dead bodies in full display. The monkeys' corpses were lying all around him, Jane, Morton, and Horton. Morton ran off to retreat from the dangerous place and Goat wouldn't blame him. However, he couldn't get up and walk away from Jane's corpse. He stared at the other dead bodies that belonged to the Whos from Whoville and Thneedville. He saw that Gluntz's parents were sprawled on the floor while Gluntz was weeping into McWinkle's shoulder. He also noticed Guy attempting to heal the Oncelor with mutters and prayers. Then, he noticed Sam, Cat-carrying Karlos's fishbowl on his hat, Gabriella, Mr. Jenkins, Max, and Grinch fighting the cultists...being outnumbered--even when Guy, Jeffrey, Dave, Michellee, McWinkle, Louis, Gluntz, and Vicky joined in the fight. For the first time, his heart was instantly broken seeing all the dead bodies of the people he knew and people he had no clue about.

There was nowhere else Goat could run to. He couldn't dodge out of the way in time from the raining bullets stomping through dirt to kill him. His eyes were sealed tight as someone's arms picked him up like it's no problem. Before he could look up who was picking him up, he was thrown off to the side and his body crashed onto the hard dirt. The bullets passed by him without hitting him.

He could hear his heart pounding harshly from the chest as his eyes were shot wide open. His chest heaved, his breathing becoming ragged, the goat slowly turned his head to see who saved him in the nick of time. It was Michael! But, the fox's legs were wobbling and shaking. Goat lost his relieved smile as he noticed the blood pooling in a few holes that penetrated through many areas of the fox's chest.

Michael gazed up at Goat, his eyes broadened when his breathing became shallow.

"A-Atticus--" Michael's sentence was cut off when he collapsed on the ground.

Goat's pupils shrunk in horror while tears gushed out of his eyes. "MICHAEL!"

He quickly sprinted towards his friend's limped body. He slid on his hindlegs into the dirt while holding him up slightly to lift the fox's upper body off of the ground.

"Michael!" Goat cried out while shaking him gently. "Wake up! Come on! Don't do this!"

The tears leaked out the more Goat called out to Michael.

"Michael! Please, you got to wake up!"

There's no response from the fox.

"Come on, zorro! Please, stay! Stay! Don't leave!"

Goat acknowledged through his glossy eyes that Michael wasn't waking up. Goat immediately lowered his friend's upper body onto the ground and placed his ear up against the fox's chest. There was no sign of his heartbeat. There was nothing that indicated that Michael could live through this.

Goat became more teary-eyed and whimpered through his sealed lips. He lifted his head off of the fox and tried to hold in his sobs.

"M-Michael...please...d-don't leave," Goat muttered while holding his best friend's upper body up again. He had his head buried in the back of the fox's shoulder and his hindlegs wrapped around his waist.

"Please...don't...don't leave me, Michael," Goat sobbed in the fox's shoulder, letting his tears just rolled out of his closed eyes. "Please...don't leave me. I can't lose you too. Please, I can't lose you too."

The wrenching cries began to grow within him as he let his emotions go. Everything came out in anguish wails of grief, soaking the fox's shoulder with unstoppable tears. Goat had no idea how he could stop it but he didn't care to. He didn't want to act tough...not now...not when he's holding Michael.

"Michael!" Goat cried again as if he's calling out to Michael's soul to come back. "Please! I-I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I-I don't want you to go! Please!"

It's useless to talk to Michael now, leaving Goat to let out a good cry that was muffled by the fox's shoulder. His sobbing died down while holding the fox tightly still. Goat began to sing, his voice croaked.

_"Here's to the ones that we got_

_Cheers to the wish you were here but you are not._

_'Cause the drinks bring back memories..._

_And the memories bring back memories bring back you."_

Goat couldn't even sing that good when his throat was caught dry from screaming his sobs into the fox's shoulder. He set Michael down on his back with tears stained on his cheeks.

"Atticus! Michael!" Goat heard Jean's voice but didn't bother to look at him.

Jean approached the scene while his eyes went wide in horror. "MICHAEL!"

He scurried up to the fox and climbed up to his chest, pressing his small ear against the fox's chest. But he couldn't hear a heartbeat.

"Mon ami," Jean uttered quietly while pursing his lips to hold in his tears. The mouse glanced up at Goat, with dried tears stained on his wrinkle cheeks. He softly caressed Goat's front leg. "I-I'm sorry, Atticus."

"Please...don't call me Atticus," Goat uttered, lowering his head and screwing his eyes tightly to not let out any more tears.

Jean was about to protest but he understood. He nodded his head. "Alright, Goat."

Goat and Jean stared over at Michael's dead body as Sam, Gabriella, Cat-with Karlos's fishbowl on top of his hat-, Michellee, Vicky, Max, Grinch, Guy, Dave, Jeffrey, Stan, McWinkle, Gluntz, and Louis finished off the cultists. They noticed Ted and Audrey running away without their parents and Nora...their bodies were found dead by a couple of ax hackers.

Guy breathed in heavily as he looked around the destroyed city with many dead bodies.

"Well, someone has to clean this place up," Cat muttered mostly to himself.

Grinch scratched the back of his head. "Did we do it? Did we win?"

"I really hope so," McWinkle uttered while Guy noticed Michellee.

"Honey, what are you doing here?" Guy asked with a brow. "Where's E.B?"

"Hey, guys!" E.B shouted excitedly while sneaking through the destroyed village.

Michellee had her eyes widened. "I thought I told you to find someplace safe."

"She's ten. They're known for being rebellious," Cat whispered with a little chuckle.

Vicky turned around to notice Goat and Jean staring at Michael's lifeless body laying on the dirt with her eyes widened.

"Michael!" She sprinted over to Michael while everyone else followed after her. They all gathered around Michael's body as Vicky covered her agape mouth in pure shock.

Guy slid on his knees beside Michael placed his hands on the fox's chest, hoping to heal him.

"Come on, Michael. Come on, not you too," Guy muttered underneath his breath but Goat heard him.

Goat slowly gazed up at Guy. "Is it too late to heal him?"

Guy softly looked at Goat while shifting his focus on Dave. "I think you're right...I think they have to be barely holding on to life for it to be healed...I'm sorry, Goat."

Goat frowned as he bit his lips.

Sam noticed the lack of cultists around them. "I think it's time for us to go home. We're done here."

"Yeah...yeah," Guy uttered while standing up to his feet. They heard a vehicle pulling up, revealing a familiar dark-pink furred man with a fedora getting out of the car.

"Well, speak of the devil," Louis muttered to himself as he walked out of the group to approach Murray. "Murray, it's so good to--"

A bullet crashed into Louis's chest, causing shock among the group for it to come from Murray. McWinkle saw his son collapsed onto the dirt, covering his wound. Murray, on the other hand, had a pistol in his grasp as more vehicles belonging to the cultists as more cultists got out of their vehicles and pointed their guns at the group.

"What the yip is happening, Murray?!" McWinkle interrogated the pink-furred man. "I thought you're our friend!"

"I mcfreaking knew it!!!" Jean shouted angrily.

"Of course, I am...well, I mean, I could be if you weren't so stubborn. Louis did a marvelous job killing off Snerz. I'm sure we won't need him," Murray scoffed while Gluntz tended to Louis's wounds.

"What are you talking about?!" McWinkle barked, tears full of rage.

"Well, he funded all our bombs and used his last glorious money to plan these glamorous parties that attracted everyone like flies. Even the Outsiders," Murray answered while Guy began to ponder about back the memories that he had with Murray.

_"_ _So, I gave her a suggestion and said that she could go into that cave that might have the answers to those nightmares and hallucinations you've been having. She could go get it before you can, that way you don't have to go down there."_

_"She's the one who chose to do it, so, I barely had a say in what's going on."_

_"The Influencers were the ones behind the desks...telling you things that you want to hear--"_

_"Beware of the Influencer, Guy. He'll tell you the things you want to hear."_

_"Influencer? Me?"_

_"Yes, who else would it be?"_

_"There's only one because he's the only one Outside of the cult. Somebody's gotta convert the Outsiders to this cult. And it looks like he's doing a good job so far."_

_"That's why we need people like you to bring fire to the world...just to make it warm."_

"It all makes sense," Guy muttered to himself while gazing up at Murray. "You're the Influencer."

Murray edged a grin. "Look who's smart."

McWinkle hardened his glare at his 'old friend'. "You son of a yip!"

The guns cocked, causing McWinkle to back down immediately.

Murray widened his cocky grin. "Oh, come on, McWinkle. You really think I want to be friends with you. Do you really think I was interested in you and your family? Sara ran away from her people and she was stuck to you like glue. When's the better time to send someone out there to punish her, hm?"

McWinkle's fists clenched and shook. Louis began to tear up at Murray.

"My dear boy...I don't mean to bring that kind of trauma to you...but you're supposed to be dead," Murray replied softly. "But...it turns out training you to be an assassin is better. Endlessly and mindlessly chasing after anyone who had anything to do with your mother."

The cultists were ready to pull their triggers as Sam looked up to him confused.

"Why...? Why are you like this? What's causing you to be like that?" Sam questioned Murray.

"Why? There's no why. There's a sense of duty my father placed on me," Murray answered as he smiled.

"Father?" Stan uttered as his arms shook.

Sam raised a brow until he realized something. "Radenburg...that's your last name, isn't it?"

Murray smiled as he noticed a plane flying over the city. "Look at the time...looks like you all are left here to die. This time...don't cower in your walls. Die as the people in Stovepipe did."

The cultists got back into their cars with Murray being driven by the cultists. They left the group where they stand without giving them any kind of escape.

McWinkle growled with pure rage. "Hey! I'm not done with you!!!"

The vehicles disappeared as the plane dropped the bomb towards the ground away from them. Guy widened his eyes, his mouth slightly parted.

"We can't outrun the bomb," Stan muttered as the bomb hit the ground. It flashed but the group covered their eyes just as Michellee used her body to protect E.B from the collision. Cat used his hat to summon a wall long enough to shield the group, however, Guy had a feeling like a bomb that was just set off will still burn through the walls. He turned to his friends, who cowered away behind the wall and then back to the bomb coming towards them.

"Guy, get behind the wall!" Cat shouted as Guy breathed in and out deeply. He began to walk towards the destruction, causing Sam to notice Guy as well.

"Guy! What are you doing?!" Sam yelled out for his briefcase buddy as Guy stood firm on the ground and held up his hands.

"Guy! Don't do this!!!" He heard Michellee screaming.

"DAD!" E.B called as Guy opened his eyes and used his mind powers to hold back the destruction that was supposed to continue on but he held it back, trying to contain it back to the center so that it wouldn't get to his friends and family.

The wind from the bomb pushed him back harder, causing him to almost fall over until he felt hands placed behind his legs. He glanced down to immediately see Sam and Gabriella helping him stand firm until the wind pushed back harder. Before the three of them, a pair of soft hands held his shoulder while another pair of rough hands gripping his other shoulder with the helped of gloved hands pushing on his back.

Then hooves pushing on his lower back to help stand with small hands and paws holding onto his neck.

Guy gritted his teeth while using all of his strength to hold back the bomb until it exploded again, knocking down everyone helping him stand up.

All around him was pure light.

"Guy!" he heard Sam cried out as he saw his worried face, examining him.

"Honey!" Michellee's voice rang in his ears as her soft hands cupped his face.

 _"Am I dead?"_ Guy questioned himself in his thought.

~.~

"Is he okay?" Goat asked in worry as they were surrounded by golden light.

McWinkle and Gluntz looked around in confusion.

"Are we dead?" Gluntz questioned. "If so...is this heaven?"

"I don't think we're dead," McWinkle muttered as Jean got up from the ground, shaking the dust off of him...only...it's not just ordinary dust. It came from him.

Jean looked at his paw as it was slowly turning to dust, slowly consuming his small body, which Goat noticed with horror in his eyes.

"Um...Goat," Jean uttered before he faded away into dust.

"What the--? What just happened?" McWinkle interrogated, with his jaw opened agape. "What is happening to you, Goat?!"

Goat saw his hoof was slowly disintegrated into dust. "Son of a--"

Goat turned to dust before their eyes.

Gabriella glanced down at Guy. "What did we just do?"

Sam turned to look at her only to notice her slowly fading to dust. "GABRIELLA!"

Gabriella looked at her hands in terror, breathing heavily. "Sam--"

She was soon turned to dust just like Goat and Jean.

"NO!" Sam cried out while everyone else looked around them again.

Gluntz held her stomach as if it's hurting. "McWinkle." She slowly turned around to face him. "I don't feel so good."

"Don't you say that, Gluntz!" McWinkle instructed as she collapsed into his arms and had her head pressed against his chest.

"You always have a nice hat," Gluntz uttered with a smile as she turned to dust in McWinkle's arms.

McWinkle breathed in and out heavily, scared for his life until he saw his hand turning to dust. "Oh boy."

Michellee hugged Guy. "I love you so much. Please know that you are--"

Her body suddenly turned to dust as Sam stayed by Guy's side, his eyes trembling in horror. He then glanced down at Guy, who's trying to get a clear understanding of what's going on.

"Sam...what's happening?" Guy asked with timid in his voice.

Sam began to slowly fade to dust while biting his bottom lip. "I don't know, bud. I don't know."

He turned to dust while Guy was blacking out, turning to dust himself.

~.~

"Guys!" Grinch called out as the bright light faded away and he noticed that the group was in a stance position for when they were surrounding Michael earlier except there's no Guy, Sam, Michellee, Goat, Jean, Gabriella, McWinkle, and Gluntz.

"What the yip?" Cat uttered while looking around. "Where's my daughter?"

"What the--?" Stan uttered as Vicky noticed Michael's body gone.

"Where's Michael?" Vicky asked with worrisome in her tone. "And Goat and Jean?"

"Where's Guy and Sam?" Jeffrey probed.

"DAD! Gluntz!!" Louis called out for his girlfriend and his father.

"Mom! Dad!" E.B followed Louis in calling for her parents.

"Papa!" Mr. Jenkins squawked.

"Don't tell me they disappeared like dust," Karlos groaned as Cat noticed the dust that appeared to be their remains.

"So...this is Infinity War," Cat muttered.

"What?" Grinch butted in.

"Our friends...they're turned to dust," Cat concluded.

"Does that mean they're dead?" Dave asked.

Cat smiled brightly as if he's got an idea. "Actually, no. Guys, have you seen Infinity War?"

Grinch rolled his eyes at Cat. "Oh boy, here we go with Marvel--"

"Hold on, hear me out. What if our friends are sent to someplace like the soul stone or something and they're now stuck there until we figure out a way to get them out?"

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yeah."

"What does that mean for them?" Stan asked, eager to help out.

"That means that Guy messed up something with the bomb...like...he just rewind time because we're not behind the wall like we should be. And then...Murray just left and...oh man...I think Guy did something supernatural."

"Like what?"

There's a long pause as Grinch covered his mouth.

"Son of a yip. He created another reality."

**_To Be Continued..._ **

**_The End..._ **

_**A/N: This is the final episode for this season. More will come soon!** _


End file.
